Schools planned for thousands from new estates
TWO brand new secondary schools are in the pipeline to cater for an expected 2,500 extra children from massive new housing estates north of Bristol.
Patchway Community School, whose buildings are an “absolute mess”, would be rebuilt, while a previous agreement with developers YTL for a secondary school at Filton Airfield could be expanded.
Both schools could provide “allthrough” learning from primary school to sixth form under a range of options for the future of education in the Cribbs-Patchway area and beyond, which was approved by South Gloucestershire Council cabinet.
The proposals will now go through a detailed design and strategy stage, and parents, carers and local partners, including Olympus Academy Trust, which runs Patchway school and will help to spearhead the project, will be asked to help “develop the overall vision”.
The council’s Conservative administration has hailed the schemes as the next step of its record capital investment in local education, while opposition Labour members say the Tory Government scrapping Patchway school’s redevelopment 10 years ago has “failed” children and sent costs rocketing.
A report to cabinet said many more school places were needed for new neighbourhoods including 5,400 homes at Cribbs-Patchway, 2,675 at Filton Airfield, to be known as Brabazon, as well as Wallscourt Farm, Frenchay, East of Harry Stoke and the continuing development of Charlton Hayes.
It said: “Taking all these new housing developments into account, the overall demand shows a requirement for up to 2,476 places or 15.6 forms of entry in total.”
South Gloucestershire Council secured land and £21million from YTL under planning conditions for a school at Brabazon new neighbourhood on Filton Airfield, with the original aim to have 1,050 students from 2027.
The report said the new options would cost between £71.1million for an all-through school with a two-form entry primary and eight-form secondary with no sixth form to £90.9million for a two-form entry primary, 10-form entry secondary school and a 300place sixth form.
It said the cost of replacing Patchway school, which currently has 900 students aged 11 to 18, ranged from £50.6million for an eight-form entry school with no sixth form to £71.7million for an all-through school with a 60-place nursery, 420-pupil primary and 240-student secondary.
The existing school and sports centre could remain operational while construction takes place, it said.