Old Tarmac headquarters to become Sikh free school

The site in Millfields Road, Ettingshall, will house the British Sikh School, which is currently based in Blakenhall.

Plans were submitted in September and now Wolverhampton council has approved the scheme which will see the office building transformed to provide classrooms for 240 pupils.

Raminder Vig, the principal of The British Sikh School, said: "I'm over the moon. The children are in a situation at the moment where it's a bit tight for space. We have our year seven children thoroughly enjoying themselves but are really looking forward to the new building where they will have state of the art equipment and will be nurtured and developed.

"We are putting something back into the industry of the Black Country. I'm really looking forward to it."

Artist impressions have also been released showing how the school could look when it completes its move.

The school aims to open in August 2016 for the 2016/17 academic year, but some facilities such as the sports hall may not be ready until October.

It will boast interactive technology including touch screens and projections, along with an auditorium, with seating for 450 children as well as a stage, lighting and acoustics.

The school aims to have 840 pupils and between 65 and 70 staff by 2022/23. But it will start with 240 pupils in 2016/17, with 120 pupils in Year 7 and 120 pupils in Year 8. This number will then increase in similar intervals each year until all year groups up to Year 13 are present in 2022.

All children will be aged between 11 and 18.

According to the plans, the school day will start at 8.30am and finish at 3.15pm. The school currently provides a before school breakfast club from 7.45am to 9am and after-school club from 3.30pm to 5.30pm.

Bosses said that the traffic increase will be minimal and there are bus and cycle routes nearby, while they admitted noise would be a factor but there would not be much impact as there are no residential properties nearby.

The school is described as 'an inclusive school, welcoming learners from all socio-economic, cultural and religious backgrounds', and that it is a member of 'Khalsa Academics Trust, a Multi Academy Trust'.

It is run according to Sikh values and principles rather than the Sikh faith and is welcoming to children of any religion.

The plans state that the school will take over just the old Tarmac headquarters to start with, and that other areas of the disused site including Tarmac laboratory, Midland quarry products and Tarmac's aggregate grading facility will be part of separate planning applications.

The free school is currently based at the former Parkfields School site on Wolverhampton Road East for its first school year, 2015/16.