AMBITIOUS plans to double the size of a Worcester primary school to relieve the demand on school places have been given the green light.
Red Hill Primary School, on London Road, will soon have six new classrooms and a two-story extension, after plans were approved by Worcestershire County Council to boost its capacity.
With a rise in the number of children needing primary school places, the expansion will enable the school’s intake to grow over a seven-year period, with an additional annual intake of 30 pupils each year.
To accommodate the additional pupils at the school, which is a decade old and was rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted in 2013, there will be an extension built to the front of the building to provide a community room and an internal alternation to enlarge the school hall.
The school’s hard play area will also be relocated as part of the expansion.
Work is due to start on the primary school at the end of August with the first phase being the car park. Completion is expected to take 13 to 14 months.
Headteacher Spencer Morris said: “In 2007 we allocated 30 pupils per year instead of the 45 per year we had allocated prior.
“With a growing number of houses this side of the river and a rising demand for school intake, we worked closely with the local authority to work towards increasing the size of the school. This is a really exciting time as the expansion will allow us to take everyone from our catchment area and an additional surplus who couldn’t get in before.
“We’re excited at having two reception classes and have already nearly filled our 60-pupil capacity for the coming year.”
Coun Rob Adams, chairman of the planning and regulatory committee at Worcestershire County Council, said: “This development is necessary as pupil numbers are growing. It makes perfect sense and is a great expansion for the school.
Coun Marcus Hart, cabinet member with responsibility for educations and skills, said:
“We’re committed to raising educational standards and investing resources to improve opportunities for children and young people throughout the county. We want to provide adequate capacity by creating the right number of school places to respond to parental preference.”
