Hundreds of new school places have been created in Cov

HUNDREDS of new secondary school places have been created in Coventry this year.

The drive is part of a £26 million government-backed expansion plan designed to create new places in schools or academies that have an overall Ofsted rating of ‘good’ or ‘outstanding.’

When plans were announced last year, the council aimed to create 240 Year 7 places for September 2019 using a mixture of temporary and permanent expansions.

The final figure was reduced to 235 following further consultation with secondary headteachers, Coventry City Council has said.

The authority said some schools in this year’s list have been able to provide extra capacity without the need for expansion, pushing allocated funding back to future years.

By September 2020, an additional 40 Year 7 places are planned, with an additional 180 Year 7 places expected the next year.

A council spokesman said: “As part of the ongoing work, planning applications for some schools are being put together although others are able to accommodate additional pupils in their existing buildings for the first year or so and will seek to build expansions in future years.

“The programme will be mainly funded through the school capital fund and provide much-needed additional capacity for our secondary schools.”

The breakdown of additional spaces includes:

Caludon Castle: 30 (temporary) Lyng Hall: 30 (temporary) Foxford: Five (temporary) Sidney Stringer: 30 (temporary) Coundon Court: 60 (permanent) Cardinal Newman: 30 (permanent)

Whitley Academy: 20 (permanent) President Kennedy: 30 (permanent)