Schools to grow after years of cuts

SCHOOLS bosses in Leeds will need to spend around £13m to expand 20 primary schools across the city, councillors will be told.

Schools across the city have been axed in recent years because they had too many spare places – but council chiefs have said the problem is that surplus places are generally not in the areas where the population is growing.

A rise in the number of children being born locally and a rise in families with pre-school age children moving into Leeds means extra places are now urgently needed.

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Leeds City Council's executive board is being asked to approve the spending of 8.3m and approve a Government cash injection of 1.7m.

A report to be considered by members says: "In July 2009 the executive board approved plans to change admission limits at a number of primary schools across Leeds in order to meet increasing demand for primary places for September 2010."

It is proposed that pupil numbers will increase from September this year at the following schools:

Beeston Primary, Blenheim Primary, Woodhouse; Brudenell Primary, Hyde Park; Ebor Gardens Primary, Burmantofts; Greenmount Primary, Beeston Hill; Highfield Primary, Moortown; Hugh Gaitskell Primary, Beeston; Ireland Wood Primary, Holt Park; Ingram Road Primary, Holbeck; Iveson Primary, Lawnswood; Mill Field Primary, Potternewton; New Bewerley Community, Beeston; Swarcliffe Primary, Victoria Primary, Harehills; Whitkirk Primary, and St Augustine's Roman Catholic Primary, Harehills.

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In Leeds, growing birth rates and an increasing number of migrants from abroad means the city will need an estimated further 325 spaces by September 2010.

It is a reversal in policy by Education Leeds, which since 2001 has closed 26 schools to reduce surplus spaces.

It is envisaged the extra space will come from modular buildings, although at some of the schools there will be some remodelling of existing buildings.

At Beeston Primary seven new classrooms will be needed at an estimated cost of 950,000; at Brudenell Primary three additional classrooms are needed and at Ebor Gardens seven extra classrooms are needed and the existing building needs remodelling which will cost around 892,000.

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The council's executive board is also being asked to approve the publication of statutory notices involving the expansion of four schools by September 2011: Windmill Primary and Clapgate Primary, Belle Isle; Ryecroft Primary, Farnley; and Blackgates Primary, Tingley.

Education Leeds estimates their expansion will cost around 3m, but more detailed budgets have yet to be drawn up.

Councillors will be told when they meet on April 7 that secondary school provision will also have to be looked at as a result of the changing birth rate.

A report to members says: "The numbers entering primary school now will take seven years to reach high school, providing time to plan for this need.

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"In this time, significant changes to the use of secondary school accommodation are expected, especially for the 14-19 age range."

In addition councillors will also be asked to back recommendations for schools in Horsforth for September 2011.

These include decreasing the lower age range of Horsforth Newlaithes Junior School from 7-11 to 5-11; increasing the age range of Horsforth Featherbank Infant School from 4-7 to 4-11; and agreeing that proposals to expand West End Primary in 2011 be withdrawn at the present time, although the need for places in the area will continue to be monitored.