£450k boost for school expansion
HOMES BUILDER HELPING TO ACCOMMODATE MORE PUPILS
A POPULAR Burton primary school which has been forced to accommodate up to 37 children in one classroom has been earmarked for major £450,000 expansion plans.
New proposals for Holy Trinity Primary School, in Wetmore Road, will be discussed at Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet meeting on Wednesday, July 18.
The move would see two additional teaching rooms built, an existing room expanded and the staff room and head teacher’s office relocated.
Admission numbers for the school would increase from 20 to 30 each year for the next seven years as a result of the proposals, which will see pupil numbers rise from 160 to 230.
It comes as 203 new homes are planned to be built in the catchment area of the school, which means that six extra primary school places are needed per year group at the school, according to the county council.
Housebuilder Maplevale Developments Ltd will pay money towards adding more places at the school, which will be needed as new families move into the homes.
Planning documents submitted to East Staffordshire Borough Council in December 2017 detail: “The applicant has committed to building an extension to Holy Trinity School at a cost of £450,000.”
Nicola Oliphant, headteacher at Holy Trinity Primary School, said: “Normally an extension of an existing school is due to the building of a local housing estate, which only adds new classrooms and spaces to accommodate these additional children.
“The proposed build at Holy Trinity Primary School will not only accommodate the children who will move into the new development but it will also enhance the school, the School Road, Burton. environment and the learning needs of all the children enrolled at school currently, and each and every staff member.
“We currently have mixed-age classes in school – with some classes reaching numbers of 37 children.
“Increasing school to accommodate the extra children from the new housing estate will ensure that all the children in school will be able to be in single age cohorts in class sizes of 30 or below.
“This will impact on staffs’ workload and their work/life balance no end, which in turn will enhance the quality of teaching, learning and assessment for every child each and every day.”
The headteacher also explained a number of benefits from the extension, including class sizes being reduced to 30 and fewer, while single-age classes will be introduced rather than mixed-age, and staff workloads reduced.
County Councillor Philip White, who is a cabinet member for learning and skills, said: “Demand for school places, especially in Burton, has been increasing, so it is important that plans are in place to accommodate increased pupils numbers.
“Holy Trinity Primary School is rated by Ofsted as ‘good,’ and governors and the diocese are keen to embrace expansion so the school can continue to serve the local community and enable more local pupils to benefit from the valuable education they offer.”
The plans were due to be discussed at Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet meeting at 10am today at the County building, in Stafford.