New West Bromwich secondary school for 750 pupils approved
A new 750-place secondary school in West Bromwich has been given the go-ahead by the Department for Education.
The school will be built on Kelvin Way, subject to planning permission, say council bosses.
The first 150 year seven pupils are due to start at the school in September 2019, with parents able to apply for a place from July this year.
The school is being sponsored by Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust, which runs a number of schools including Shireland Collegiate Academy in Smethwick, which has been 'consistently judged outstanding' by Ofsted.
Chris Ward, director of education, skills and employment said: "This will be the second new secondary school to open in Sandwell in the last 10 years, following on from the successful Q3 Academy in Oldbury which opened in 2016.
"The Shireland Collegiate Academy in Smethwick is giving young people an outstanding level of education and we hope to continue this in the new school in Kelvin Way.
"This is a much needed school in West Bromwich where it is expected there will be increasing demand for secondary school places in the next few years.”
The next steps will be to confirm funding streams and obtain planning permission before work can start on site.
Sir Mark Grundy, chief executive of the Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust, said: “We are incredibly proud to have been asked to work with Sandwell Council on the development of this new school.
"Shireland has consistently been judged as outstanding by Ofsted coupled with exceptional Progress 8 levels of achievement, and the development of the West Bromwich Collegiate Academy will allow us to establish this quality of provision for the families and the community."
A rapidly rising population, accelerated over recent years by increased migration and a baby boom, means an extra 3,500 places are needed by 2025.
Council chiefs said pupil numbers had continued to grow in primary schools so a demand for secondary places is set to increase in the next few years.
In preparation for this the authority identified the 'highly desirable' site on Kelvin Way for a new secondary school.
