School places to increase by fifty per cent at west Leeds primary

Members of Leeds City Council’s decision making executive board today agreed to publish a statutory notice to permanently expand Beecroft Primary School from a capacity of 210 pupils to 315.

An increase in pupil admission numbers from 30 to 45 is due to start in September 2017.

The increase in pupil numbers was proposed in a bid to meet increased demand for primary school places in the Kirkstall, Burley and Hawksworth Wood areas of west Leeds.

School head June Turner said planning permission will soon be sought to build up to four new classrooms.

The new classrooms will be on a second floor built above the main school building in a scheme set to cost around £1m.

Mrs Turner, who has been head at the school for 21 years, said: “It is needed because children in this area can’t get in to their local school.

“We have got children half-a-mile away who are having trouble getting in the school.”

Mrs Turner said building work on the new classrooms is due to start next summer, ahead of the extra places starting to become available from next September.

Publishing a statutory notice is the next legal step in increasing capacity and follows a public consultation earlier this year.

A report to the executive board meeting stated: “The proposal has been supported during the public consultation, within the majority of respondents ((67 out of 86) supporting it.”

The report added: “The additional places are required to ensure the authority meets its legal requirement to ensure sufficiency of primary provision for September 2017.

“There is evidence of local need for places and it is therefore recommended that the proposal be approved.”