Yew Tree Primary School lined up to be bulldozed and rebuilt
A primary school is due to be rebuilt under latest plans to create more places for pupils in one borough.
Yew Tree Primary School on the Yew Tree Estate, on the border with Sandwell, will be knocked down and replaced with a new building, if planning bosses approve the new plans.
The work will go ahead during the school holidays so as to disrupt student learning as little as possible.
Councillors met to discuss the plans on Wednesday night and have agreed to undertake a site visit before making a final decision on the plans.
The leader of Walsall Council, Councillor Mike Bird, said children across both Walsall and Sandwell would benefit from the rebuild, describing it as a ‘great positive’.
He added: “This can only be a good thing for the school, the children and the areas of Walsall and Sandwell.
“Experience has told me that old buildings contribute to bad learning and modern schools can help provide much better teaching and a better learning environment.
“Especially in underachieving schools, the worst thing to have is an old building with people freezing throughout the winter.
Positive
“These kind of buildings contribute to poor attendance in pupils and poor teaching but this re-build can re-energise this school and provide fantastic surroundings and a good quality of learning.
“You only get one chance at education and this can only be good for people in the area.
“Children in The Delves and across the cross-border of Walsall and Sandwell will benefit from this and that can only be a good thing.
“Bringing in more and more pupils is a great positive for the area with more children having the chance to receive quality care and education.”
Councillors are set to visit the school site on Wednesday October 3.
This latest proposal comes after plans were unveiled in 2015 for Yew Tree school and two others to be rebuilt or refurbished under a £6 billion programme.
Former education secretary Nicky Morgan visited the Black Country three years ago when the announcement was made that saw Blue Coat Church of England Academy in Walsall and Rivers Primary Academy in Blakenall also among the plans.
No-one from Yew Street Primary School wanted to comment on the plans.
