Express & Star

Expansion of Black Country school to be eased through

Councillors will support actions to ease the expansion of a Black Country school, after considering a petition opposing the plan.

Published

Manor Primary School in Ettingshall Road, Coseley, will be permanently expanded as part of a £15m plan to grow Wolverhampton's primary schools.

From September 2015, the school's published admission number will increase from 60 to 90. In a report presented to Wolverhampton City Council petitions committee, Trevor Pringle, head of school planning and resources, says a petition was received on October 17 containing 408 signatures.

It states: "Petition reflects strength of feeling from parents and immediate community against the local authority increasing standard number at Manor Primary."

During a consultation period earlier this year, 61 responses were received relating to the plan to expand the Ettingshall Road school, which has an 'outstanding' Ofsted rating. Of these, only 13 were in favour, with 70.5 per cent saying they did not agree with the plans.

Mr Pringle says the petition does not outline the rationale behind the opposition, however a range of issues were highlighted during the consultation, including parking issues and traffic congestion, road safety and the absence of a school crossing patrol, a risk of compromising the quality of teaching and the resultant impact on standards, and increased pressure on school facilities.

The committee was asked to note the urgent need to increase the capacity of the primary school, and local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure sufficiency of school places. Mr Pringle says: "The council is committed to working closely with Manor Primary to develop and deliver an expansion scheme that will meet the needs of both the school and the local community."

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