£6m expansion planned for Walsall schools to create 100 classroom spaces
Six primary schools could be expanded to create more than 100 extra spaces in multi-million pound plans.
Walsall Council wants to ‘significantly enlarge’ six schools across the borough from September 2019 to keep up with increasing demand for school places.
The work could cost more than £6.5 million with some of the schools needing extensions, alterations and in some cases new buildings.
The sites earmarked for an additional 15 places in reception are Old Church primary on School Street in Darlaston, Salisbury Primary on Salisbury Street in Darlaston, Manor Primary on Briar Avenue in Streetly, Leighswood Primary on Broadmeadow in Aldridge and St Michael’s Church of England Junior Mixed and Infant School in Pelsall. Short Heath Junior School on Pennine Way in Willenhall has been touted for 30 spaces.
All schools will see their reception size rise from 45 to 60 pupils with the exception of Short Heath, which is proposed to go from 60 to 90.
The proposals for the expansions will be tabled tomorrow night where council bosses will discuss them and decide whether to send them out for consultation in September. Councillor Aftab Nawaz, the cabinet member with responsibility for education in Walsall, said: “There is high demand for places and that is why we are looking at expansions. But that is not to say in the future we will not be looking at other schools to expand them as well, it is a rolling process.
“If we had enough money we would expand all the schools in the borough but that isn’t possible. As the portfolio holder I will be looking at where the greatest needs are.”
The expansion of Old Church could cost around £877,000, Salisbury nearly £2m, Short Heath £1.8m, Manor £860,000, Leighswood £585,000 and St Michael’s £380,000. The figures include a 20 per cent contingency, meaning the actual costs could be lower and the expansions might only cost around £5.2m in total.
All the schools are rated either good or outstanding by education watchdog Ofsted with the exception of Leighswood, which is rated as requires improvement. Councillor Nawaz said: “We want every school in Walsall to be outstanding. Leighswood is going in the right direction.”
