Money pledged to add 300 student places at school

Millions of pounds is being invested to create 300 new student places at a school.

Mid Suffolk Council agreed to spend £4.8m on the expansion at Stowmarket High School.

The move is part of a larger project costing £10m in total to create a new classroom block with a hall, up to 11 classrooms, a reflection room and administration areas.

"It will make a huge difference to hundreds of students and their families in the coming years," said Andrew Stringer, the Green Party cabinet member for infrastructure.

"However, this is only part of the picture – we also want to make sure there is funding there for other schools in future when they need to expand."

The existing sixth form block will also be turned into two music classrooms, five practice rooms and storage areas.

Work is expected to start in the autumn and finish before the next school year starts in 2026.

The total number of places at the school would rise to 1,200, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The £4.8m is made up of funds that have been contributed by developers who have built housing projects in the area.

Kingfisher Schools Trust, which runs the school, is overseeing the project.

The remainder of the required funding is coming from Suffolk County Council and a separate pot of financial contributions from developers.