'Temporary' new school to be built in Preston until new one is ready

Education bosses are planning to build a makeshift primary school in Preston after it emerged that a permanent facility already in the pipeline will not be ready by the time it is needed.

- by Paul Faulkner

The Lancashire Post can reveal that Lancashire County Council is hoping to create the temporary establishment on the former Whittingham Hospital site.

The plot-off Whittingham Lane - has long been earmarked for a school as part of a broader development of 900 homes.

The facility had been expected to open in September 2026, but a change in the scope of the plans means that date will no longer be achievable.

The additional pupil places will, however, still be required from that point - prompting the authority to come up with a stopgap solution.

The Post understands that the county council now intends to install two temporary classrooms on the same site, along with other necessary school accommodation.

Subject to planning permission being granted, the classes - for a total of up to 60 reception-aged pupils - would be in situ for the start of the 2026/27 academic year, meaning the extra places would be provided on time.

Those students would become the first intake for the new school, while the permanent facility was being constructed on the surrounding land - with an expected opening date of September 2027.