Pupils being invited for first intake into new Wednesfield school
Reception class places are now being welcomed for a new technology primary school currently nearing the end of construction in Wolverhampton.
Due to open in September 2024, Wednesfield Technology Primary is being built on the site of the 112-year-old former Edward the Elder School on Lichfield Road, which was demolished in June last year.
At present the school is taking nursery reception classes for next year. As the year groups move up, a new reception class will be taken on every year until the school is full in 2030. It will have 60 places in reception and 52 places in the nursery. At capacity, the facility will provide teaching spaces for 26 nursery children, 60 reception, 120 key stage 1 and 240 key stage 2.
In a report to the city council, Tom Hallett, acting on behalf of Birmingham-based developers Tilbury Douglas Construction Ltd, who are carrying out the building work on the school, said: “The site has been in educational use for over 100 years, although the previous school had been left empty and in a derelict state since 2007.
“The new school is a member of the Shireland Academy Trust, which already operates several schools in the West Midlands. It has been designed to inspire new ways of teaching, offering a specialised technology-based curriculum.
“This development will deliver a range of benefits and has already created new jobs during the current construction phase. The future occupation of the school will also bring about up to 45 full and part-time positions.
“The retention of the former lodge building in the grounds will maintain an important link to the history of the site and will be used by the school as a family hub. Additional landscape planting to enhance the site will also provide diversity and ecology value.
“And of course this sees the redevelopment of a long-standing vacant brownfield site within a sustainable location ideally placed to serve the growing needs of the community. The parking layout has been reconfigured to allow for a one-way circulation of cars around the parking area, along with the provision of a dedicated drop off and collection point,” he added.
“This will enable cars queuing to drop-off and pick-up in a very orderly manner within the site – and at peak times. The number of parking spaces has also been increased and CCTV will be installed. Financial contributions in the form of a pedestrian crossing and the reinstatement of the ‘keep clear’ markings outside the school will also be added.”
The former lodge that served as part of the old Edward the Elder school has been retained on site and will now act as a student hub for the technology college.
The new building will incorporate a two-storey block with a single level for the hall and kitchen. The design is Passivhaus – meaning it will achieve a very high level of energy efficiency.
Although not listed, the landmark former Edward the Elder primary – previously one of the city’s oldest school buildings – dated back to 1910. The original date stone has been carefully preserved and stored on the site and will be repositioned adjacent to the new entrance prior to the school’s opening.
