BOSSES of Parkfield School paid £3 million for its new site next to Bournemouth Airport, it has been revealed.

The sum was revealed in response to a question to Education Minister Robert Goodwill from Christchurch MP Christopher Chope.

But it does not include building costs, professional fees or ICT costs, likely to run into many more millions of pounds.

Mr Goodwill said: "Construction costs, professional fees and ICT costs associated with the permanent site for the school are currently commercially sensitive and will be published once the project is completed."

Parkfield, Bournemouth's first free school, opened in September 2013 and its full costs to date have never been revealed.

It is due to move to Hurn in September after many delays, despite calls for it to remain in Bournemouth town centre.

The school, an all-through school for children from reception to sixth form, has been dogged with controversy since it opened.

In 2013 it opened in a former office block, Dorset House in Christchurch Road, but only after delays forced pupils to be moved to Butcher's Coppice scout camp for the first few weeks of the school's existence.

Parents were promised that it would move to a new town centre site within two years but pupils remain at Dorset House today.

The move to Hurn was announced more than three years ago and difficulties since then have included concerns about asbestos and problems with a travel plan.

In 2015 the school was graded as Requires Improvement by Ofsted inspectors but since then an interim report has revealed that standards are improving.

the school has a new interim head, Ian Golding, and is finally due to open at Hurn in September.