Expansion of schools provides more pupil places

New facilities at Overdale include a studio and rooms for smaller groups of pupils to work in

The £3.8m expansion of two Leicester schools has been completed.

A new classroom block has been built at Overdale Infant and Junior Schools in Knighton, creating space for 240 additional pupils.

Existing school buildings have also been extended and a new studio, new toilets and storage space have been added as well.

Leicester City Council, which funded the work, said the new building had a range of energy-efficient features, including air source heat pumps and low energy LED lighting.

Matt Evans, head teacher at Overdale Junior School said: “We are delighted with our new learning spaces which we so desperately needed.

"The classrooms and additional spaces are lovely with lots of natural light and are really spacious. We are proud of our new building and our pupils really enjoy their new learning spaces.”

The schools are both run by the OAK Multi Academy Trust, but the city council said it was responsible for ensuring they had enough capacity to meet growing demand.

Hayley Holmes, head teacher at the infant school, said: “The additional classrooms have provided us with the capacity we need to provide a positive learning environment for our children.

"We are thrilled to be able to have a larger hall space so the entire school can be in the hall together.”

Assistant city mayor Elaine Pantling, who leads on education, said both the infant and junior schools were "extremely popular".

"I’m really pleased that we have been able to invest in this programme of improvements and create much-needed additional places," she added.

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