Department for Education confirms plan to build £50m school in Walsall

The school, set to create 1000 places for students, is one of 16 selected across England.

The Walsall facility will include sixth form provision and 24 special educational needs and disabilities places.

The proposed site for the school is at Reedswood Park.

It was once home to Reedswood Golf Course until its closure in 2007, prior to this it was the Birchills Power Station site before demolition in 1987.

After the closure of the golf course, trees were donated to create a woodland to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee.

The park has been awarded Green Flag status for the last three years, a recognition from Keep Britain Tidy under the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

In autumn 2023, the DfE carried out an extensive feasibility study into the site, which left it inaccessible from the canal towpath due to a mud swamp.

The location of the new school has come under fierce criticism from some locals and the MP for Walsall and Bloxwich Valerie Vaz.

Former ward councillor in Walsall, Chris Jones, said Reedswood Park is a ‘living and developing tribute’ to Queen Elizabeth’s reign, drawing criticism to the two £35,000 corgi statues unveiled at Walsall Arboretum last year.

Ms Vaz had previously called on the government to abandon its plan of destroying the woodland, and instead repurpose the existing vacant Sneyd Comprehensive on Vernon Way.

More recently, speaking at Westminster, she said accessibility is a major issue for Reedswood Park, and that the project ‘smacks of the covid VIP lane’.

Walsall Council said funding, directly from central government, must be spent on creating new school provision opposed to updating or maintaining existing schools in Walsall.

The Department for Education has selected educational partners to deliver each of the new schools across the country.

In Walsall, the school will be delivered by Windsor Academy Trust, which already has two primary schools in the borough, Goldsmith Primary Academy and Rivers Primary Academy.

Councillor Mark Statham, portfolio holder for children’s, families and lifelong learning at Walsall Council said: “We’re delighted to have received confirmation of a new secondary school for our borough.

“It’s been a long time coming but this investment is going to help educate a thousand of Walsall’s next generation so they can receive a local, high-quality education.

“The new school will help us manage the long-term demand for school places, and we have undergone a substantial amount of data analysis to look at getting the right number of school places, in the right areas where our communities need them.

“We’re working closely with the Department for Education on the scheme and welcome the next steps to keep this project moving forward.”

Dawn Haywood, chief executive of Windsor Academy Trust said: “We are pleased that Walsall has been selected for this significant investment, and that Windsor Academy Trust has been chosen as the education partner for the new secondary school; an inclusive mainstream school with specialist provision.

“This £50 million project will create much-needed, high-quality secondary school places right here in the borough, building upon the excellent work we already do at Goldsmith and Rivers Primary Academies.”