Plans submitted for new £2m Wolverhampton school extension
Multi-million-pound plans to expand a Wolverhampton secondary school have been formally submitted.
City of Wolverhampton Council has agreed to refurbish and remodel Colton Hills Community School in Goldthorn Park, Wolverhampton, to create space for 79 more pupils.
The work includes a single-storey extension to the school’s sixth form to provide new changing rooms and showers as well as a new archive and record office.
Another extension would provide a larger gym and bigger changing rooms to accommodate the proposed rise in pupils.
A planning application for the work was submitted by City of Wolverhampton Council earlier this week.
City of Wolverhampton Council’s cabinet meets on January 21 to sign off on the £2.6m changing rooms contract.
The school in Jeremy Road already provided a ‘bulge class’ in September due to a temporary surge in pupil numbers.
To meet anticipated demand, the school will be required to expand further from September next year and permanently expanded from September 2027 – which would require more money, the council said.
The school’s published admission number (PAN) would increase from 161 to 240 which would provide an additional 79 year 7 places from September 2027 and 395 permanent places in total by September 2031.
Figures in the report showed that pupils starting secondary school in Wolverhampton next year have seen their year groups grow by more than 320 pupils from starting primary school in 2018 – already exceeding the 300 pupil average.
The city’s year 5 cohort has also already grown by nearly 312 pupils according to the same figures.
The current year 2 cohort has grown by more than eight classes in three years and the city’s year 1 cohort has already increased by nearly five class sizes in two years.
Key stage two classes – years 3, 4, 5 and 6 – have already increased beyond the historical average with the latter three year groups all rising by more than 10 full classes since starting school seven years earlier.
Colton Hills Community School had also applied to the local authority to establish a special educational needs (SEND) resource base for pupils with social, emotional and mental health difficulties.
The report outlining the planned expansion said: “The design for the permanent expansion will be delivered as a standalone building, incorporating the required space for the SEND resource base.
“Ongoing design work is currently being undertaken to establish the costs, but it is anticipated to be in the region of £6.1 million.
“The cost per place would be £19,326, which is significantly below the national average.
“However, it should be noted that this a very high level cost estimate and elements such as surveys and ground conditions will need to be carried out.”
