School places to be created in Sandwell

Sandwell Council has agreed to allocate cash to improve facilities at primary schools, including new classrooms, to boost the number of pupils which can be taken on.

Priority has been given to creating 254 extra places over the next three years – the equivalent of around nine extra classes of 30 pupils.

Bosses today said schools receiving the cash would be Hamstead Infant, Holy Trinity Primary, Sacred Heart Primary, St James CE Primary and Yew Tree Primary.

Money has also been put aside for the creation of two extra classes in Smethwick and one in Wednesbury North ward.

However it has not yet been allocated to any particular school. This will be decided later in the scheme.

Officials said St Hubert's School was set to move out of its present building in Oldbury next year and relocate to a new site.

Once the school has moved out there are plans in the pipeline to create a new school at the empty site – with some of the cash being used to extend the present building.

Bosses say this will boost the number of available places even further.

Funding will also be put into maintaining schools and improving facilities to providing free meals for more infants.

Officials said the cost of the project would be met from the council's 2015/17 basic need allocation of £18.301m and the 2014/15 capital maintenance allocation of £3.274m.

The measures follow studies carried out by the council showing the need for more school places to be created due to the impact of the rise in the birth rate.

Cabinet member for strategic resources on the council Councillor Steve Eling approved the funding.

"This will see the creation of new classes of 30 pupils which will boost the number of places available in the borough," he said.

"The amount of funding given to each site varies depending on the work needed to prepare them for the intake of more pupils.

"There is a need for more places in the area. Things are very different to how they were 10 and 20 years ago.

"This will allow expansion of schools in the area and ensure we have the number of places needed available.

"However I would stress this will be carried out over a period of time. The funding period goes up until 2017.

"Therefore some of the projects will be carried out in the short-term while others may not be happening for some time yet."

Councillor Eling said timescales would become clearer as the project continued.