Old Tarmac HQ lined up to become free school

The former headquarters in Millfields Road, Ettingshall, will house the British Sikh School if the scheme is given the nod.

Wolverhampton Vocational Training Centre is also set to move to the disused Tarmac site in 2016 but in a different building to the BSS.

The school, which is part of a free school pledge by the current UK Conservative government, aims to have 840 pupils and between 65 and 70 staff by 2022/23.

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.

The free school is currently based at the former Parkfields School site on Wolverhampton Road East for its first school year, 2015/16, but it hopes to move into the new site in time for the 2016/17 academic year.

Plans, submitted to Wolverhampton council this week, 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.

Raminder Vig, principal of The British Sikh School, said: "I'm delighted that The British Sikh School will be located at the Tarmac site in its second year of opening.

"Over the last few months we've recruited excellent teaching staff for all national curriculum subjects and acquisition of the Tarmac site means that we will also have a school building with state of the art facilities."

As well as the site plan, Khalsa Academies Trust, which runs the school, had to submit declarations about travel, noise and land contaminations.

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 that it would be 'minimal' 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.

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.

The main school day will start at 9am and finish at 3.15pm and 'it is likely that this will continue'.