Fallings Park Primary School expansion hailed a success
The extensive rebuilding and regeneration of a school has been hailed as a huge success by its headteacher.
Fallings Park Primary School, Old Fallings Lane, Wolverhampton, was part of the council's project to increase pupil admissions by developing the existing site.
Work on the site began in 2014 and was completed on Friday as contractors put the finishing touches to landscaping the three new play areas.
Jon Hopkins, headteacher of the school said: "We're all aware of the national shortage of school places that's affecting all schools including those in Wolverhampton.
"We were approached by the local authority to expand our intake and be part of a project that would see an increase in our admissions and also increase the provision we had to provide classes and teaching for children.
"We have now expanded from a two-form entry school to a three-form entry school, which means that we have gone from having two classes of pupils in each year group to three."
Pupils moved into the new and improved school in January and have so far had a positive response to the changes.
"They are loving it so far," Mr Hopkins said. "They have more room – there are more breakout spaces and places for play.
"The parents have been very positive so far too, as we have a new pupil hub and spaces for them to attend pre-nursery classes. We've also increased the access arrangements to the building."
Tina Meese, pupil hub manager at the school, said: "The pupils have taken to the changes really well and are loving the extra provision.
"We even have the space to provide learning spaces for adults, putting on speak easy classes and leadership awards classes for parents too. The facilities we had before were quite small."
The school was part of a £15 million expansion scheme that was announced in May 2015, with the aim of creating more than 700 new places by 2016.
