300 school places created in leisure centre

Wokingham Borough Council handed the centre to the secondary school next door

A leisure centre will become home to classrooms in a plan to create 300 new school places over the next five years.

St Crispin’s Leisure Centre in Wokingham will re-open at the end of July as a centre for education to help create vital new school places in the borough.

Wokingham Borough Council handed it to the Circle Academy Trust which runs St Crispin's secondary school next door.

It will also continue to offer important amenities for residents and community groups.

The Circle Academy Trust wants to continue to allow public access to the centre outside of school hours

Use of the leisure centre had been in decline since the pandemic and the need for additional secondary school places in the borough was high.

In November, Wokingham Borough Council’s decision-making executive agreed to repurpose the centre to provide quality new school places from September 2024.

Councillor Prue Bray, responsible for schools said: “By working together, we have found a positive way to provide both the secondary school places we so urgently need and to continue sport and community use at the centre.

"It is never an easy decision to make changes, but we do have to make the best use of our assets as guardians of the public purse."

"We have huge demands for secondary school places and by repurposing the centre, which had declining numbers, it will help us provide these much needed quality school places,” she added.

Andy Hinchcliff, St Crispin’s headteacher said: “I am delighted that we will be able to enhance the facilities."