New premises plan for school in city suburb
A SCHOOL could double in size after governors voted in favour of plans for a major expansion.
Broadway East First School, in Gosforth, Newcastle, is set to move to larger premises on nearby Great Park by 2020.
Under the proposal, the school would move and increase its intake from 45 pupils a year to 90.
The new building would sit on a site shared with the 1,200-place secondary school planned by Gosforth Academy leaders, which would accept pupils from Year 5 upwards.
Governors said, after meetings were held and information sent out to parents, the majority responded positively to the plan.
They say the move will bring more money, better facilities and increased “curriculum expertise” to the school.
A total of 75 positive responses to a consultation were received, alongside 48 respondents who didn’t agree with the idea.
Governors claim “all of the concerns raised by parents/carers have been considered and discussed”.
The final decision as to the school’s future now lies with Newcastle City Council.
Although it approved the plans, the school’s governing body demanded that the council address some of the concerns raised by parents in the consultation.
These included worries about travel to the new site, ensuring sufficient places at the school to meet local need and clarifying arrangements for admissions and what the relationship would be with feeder schools.
A spokesperson for the council said: “The council has been working closely with Broadway East First School during their consultation on the potential expansion of the school and relocation to Newcastle Great Park.
“This proposal has been put forward because of the growing demand for places, and success of, all the Gosforth schools.
“The decision which has been reached following their consultation is essentially the first step in the statutory process and a final decision will be taken by the council once all the steps in the process have been completed.
“The exact timescales for this are not yet finalised but the council will continue to work with the school, partners and stakeholders and endeavour to address some of the concerns and issues that were raised as part of the consultation.
“This work will commence in the early Autumn term and a final decision will then need to be taken within two months.”