School Expansions Announced By Hounslow Council

Council to spend over £54 million expanding fifteen schools

Councillors last night (Dec 4) agreed plans to invest more than £54 million to provide more primary school places, giving parents across the borough more choice of where to send their children to school.

The plans will see 15 primary schools expanded to help meet the demand for places across the borough.

Cllr Steve Curran, cabinet member for education and housing at the council, said:

“The growth in the demand for places we are looking at for the next few years is huge, and there is no corner of the borough that is unaffected. 

“Local schools are incredibly popular and we are determined to try to make sure parents are able to get a place at their local school.

“These plans will help us make sure parents have a better choice of places to send their children for years to come.

“We have selected these schools for a number of reasons, such as demand in the area, whether the site has capacity to expand, and if the works can be completed without unmanageable disruption.

“All of our schools understand the need we have to provide school places for our children and we’ve discussed with them how the expansions can also bring additional benefits to both pupils and staff.”

The council consulted on expanding 17 schools across the borough, but two sites – St Paul’s CE Primary in Brentford, and Wellington Primary School in Hounslow – have been withdrawn.

Hounslow has seen a rapid increase in the number of school-aged children in recent years and, in order to provide the capacity to give these children the education they need, the council has been creating extra places at schools that have the potential to expand and where demand is highest.

Since 2008 the council has increased the number of places across the borough, adding individual classes (known as ‘bulge’ classes) and completely expanding a school.

More classes have already been provided for this the current academic year to meet the increasing demand for places across the borough. This has seen almost 800 additional school places added across 24 primary schools, as well as extra places have been set up for children with special education needs.

Notes to editors

1. The cabinet report is available here.

2. The 15 schools being expanded are:

• Crane Park Primary School
• Feltham Hill Infant School
• Feltham Hill Junior School
• Grove Park Primary School
• Hounslow Heath Infant School
• Hounslow Heath Junior School
• Isleworth Town Primary School
• Lionel Primary School
• Norwood Green Infant School
• Norwood Green Junior School
• Sparrow Farm Infant School
• Sparrow Farm Junior School
• Springwell Infant School
• Springwell Junior School
• The Blue CE Primary School

3. In considering which schools should be selected for potential expansion, account has been taken both of DfE guidance and the criteria that members have identified as important, specifically, that:

• there is projected to be a demand for additional places in the specific area;
• the site (or another site) can accommodate the necessary additional building and the additional pupils;
• the necessary building works can be completed without unmanageable disruption to the existing school;
• there is evidence that the additional places will be popular with parents requiring school places;
• there will continue to be a balance between community and faith schools;
• the school to be expanded will provide a high quality of education.

December 5, 2012