Wolverhampton school extension given the go-ahead
Plans for a new wing on a primary school have been given the go-ahead as part of a £13 million plan to create hundreds of new school places.
Fallings Park Primary school in Old Fallings Lane, Wolverhampton, was yesterday granted permission to build three new classrooms, plus a new two-room nursery unit.
The extension, which will allow it to increase its pupil intake by 50 per cent, is part of a wider plan to create hundreds of new school places in the city.
Demand on primary schools in the city has rocketed in recent years and education bosses expect it to increase further.
Last year a report to the council said more places were urgently needed.
The authority approved a £13 million cash injection to build extensions at Fallings Park and two other schools, creating a total of 630 new places across the city.
Fallings Park will see its pupil numbers eventually grow from 420 to 630, after it was agreed that the number of new pupils it admitted next term should rise from 60 to 90.
The extension will allow it to open a third form for reception class children.
Trinity Church CE Primary School in Heath Town will increase its pupil numbers by the same amount, while Dunstall Hill Primary School will see its capacity double from 210 to 420 pupils.
The plans for Fallings Park are for a single-storey wing, with a new toilet block also included, as well as internal alterations to the building.
Education chief, Councillor Phil Page, said the demand for school places in Wolverhampton was a sign that people wanted to live in the city.
"We need to tell people we've got fantastic school buildings and some really fantastic teaching staff in our schools," he said.
"And we need to start telling people what a great place Wolverhampton is."
