School relocation and expansion plans move forward in Stafford
A Stafford school is set to relocate to another site so it can offer more places for families moving into hundreds of new homes being built in the town.
The Kingston Centre in Fairway is currently being used as a Covid vaccination venue and was previously a middle school until the 1980s.
Staffordshire County Council plans to make it the new home of St Leonard’s Primary School, which is currently located in a Victorian building in St Leonard’s Avenue, as part of a £4m relocation and expansion project.
The Kingston Centre is five minutes’ walk away from the current St Leonard’s School building and also close to two large housing developments set to be constructed on former factory sites.
Planning permission has been granted by Stafford Borough Council for up to 430 homes on the old Areva site in Fairway, while more than 350 homes are earmarked for the former Alstom site off Lichfield Road. Concerns were raised at the time however by community leaders about how local schools and GP surgeries would cope with the extra demand.
On Wednesday (December 15) Staffordshire County Council gave the green light for a statutory proposal to be published for the relocation and expansion of St Leonard’s School.
The expansion would allow the school to offer more than 200 new places for extra pupils, a cabinet report said.
Councillor Jonathan Price, cabinet member for education and SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) said: "St Leonard’s Primary School is rated good by Ofsted and the proposed £4m–plus project serves two purposes: an expansion to provide additional school places for families from around 800 new homes nearby, with the potential for even further expansion, and a move from the current Victorian building on a cramped and congested site into a light, airy and modern learning environment, including for the first time an onsite playing field for the children.
"Following a positive local consultation I recommend we move to the next legal stage and publish a statutory proposal in a newspaper and across the local area. This will provide a four-week representation period for anyone to submit comments on, or objections to, this proposal.
"If everything progresses, including a separate planning application, we would see the Kingston Centre once again open to local pupils in 2023 – exactly 35 years after the old Kingston Middle School closed its doors. It will be very nice to see a school back on the site – I finished school in 1988 so that’s how long it’s been.
“I believe this is an excellent proposal that benefits the community, the school and existing and future pupils. It demonstrates our commitment to investing in education and communities and supports our vision for everyone to be able to prosper, be healthy and be happy."
