Parents are being invited to have their say on plans to increase the size of Fernwood Primary school in Wollaton.
The council is consulting on a proposal to expand the site so pupil intake will rise from 840 to 1,050 places – an increase of 210 new places, on a phased basis.
It’s already been a busy time for the school after the Infant and Junior schools amalgamated to become one primary, to provide seamless education for the children. It will also be opening a new Nursery in January, which is currently being built and due to be finished by Christmas.
The number of catchment children for Fernwood Primary has increased significantly since September 2014. To support this, the School has admitted an additional Reception class this year, but a longer-term solution is needed.
Portfolio Holder for Schools, Councillor Sam Webster, said: “The national shortage of primary school places has been reflected across the City of Nottingham and extra capacity has been added in many schools. In the Wollaton area the number of pupils seeking school places has grown and we need to meet this demand.
“Fernwood Primary is an outstanding school, very popular and is always massively over-subscribed, with waiting lists across the year groups. More places are still needed to meet the significant increase in the number of local children requiring a school place.”
If this proposal goes ahead, it is anticipated that the Infants building work for additional classrooms will be complete for September 2016 and the Junior classrooms for September 2017.
There has been an 18% increase in Reception children in Nottingham since 2010, from 3,254 to 3,819 pupils in 2014. As part of the Council’s expansion plan, since 2009 an extra 2,085 places have been created. The council has invested more than £33 million in its school expansion programme, to make schools bigger and better.
Cllr Webster added: “We’ve invested council funding to increase the number of school places and meet the rising demand for primary schools in the city. Our expansion strategy will ensure that every child and young person has access to the very best facilities in order to help them to succeed and reach their full potential.”
Have your say: complete the consultation online survey, at the following link on this web page: www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/fernwood2015hys until Sunday 18 October 2015.
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