Schools to provide more places this autumn

Three secondary schools will be able to cater for additional pupils this September, while a special school will also be expanded to meet rising demand.

The number of Year 7 places available at Colton Hills Community School, Ormiston SWB Academy and St Matthias School will be temporarily increased by 89 from September to meet a short-term need for additional places.

Meanwhile, Broadmeadow Special School will receive two temporary modular buildings to enable it to accommodate a total of 75 children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The number of Year 7 places at Colton Hills will be temporarily increased by 49 this September, from 161 to 210, reverting to 161 in September 2024. Teaching and learning space at the school is sufficient, however additional dining capacity is required, and so expansion work costing around £500,000 will take place to enlarge the dining area.

An additional 10 Year 7 places will be created at St Matthias School in September, which will be able to take 171 pupils, reverting to 161 in 2024, with the additional places catered for within the existing accommodation.

Finally, an extra 30 places for Year 7 pupils will be available at Ormiston SWB Academy in 2023, an increase from 200 to 230. The admission limit for Year 7 will revert to 200 in September 2024 and, again, the existing accommodation is sufficient.

Councillor Chris Burden, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Work, said: "The council has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient school places available in the city, and to promote parental choice.

"In order to ensure ongoing sufficiency, we have already introduced over 2,000 additional school places in recent years. An additional 89 places are needed for the coming academic year, and so we have agreed to expand the number of pupils on roll at St Matthias and Colton Hills Community schools in the next academic year, while the Ormiston Academies Trust is providing the additional places at Ormiston SWB Academy.

“All three schools have also catered for additional pupils in recent years, and I would like to thank them for their continuing support.

"At Broadmeadow Special School, we will be putting in two temporary buildings which will give it additional capacity for the time being, with a view to later creating a new, purpose-built school in a different location which will enable Broadmeadow to support even more pupils with SEND in the future.

"All these schools are rated Good by Ofsted, the standards we expect in Wolverhampton."