School expansion plan to be discussed by council

The project is being funded through Department for Education grant funding

Councillors are being asked to approve plans for the final phase of renovations at Bingley Grammar School.

The expansion project will provide 18 new classrooms, 150 extra secondary school places and 24 new specialist places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The first three phases are complete but to finish the project, councillors will be asked to agree £3m of government grant funding -bringing the total project cost to £14.3m.

The project is being paid for through Department for Education grant funding.

Bradford Council said the additional funds are required as the project has grown since it was first approved in 2021 - from creating 13 new classrooms to 18.

The cost of building materials and labour has also risen sharply across the country over recent years, it said.

The school missed out on a rebuild under the Building Schools for the Future programme

The conversion of the former music block has allowed the creation of a 24 place Resourced Provision for children with SEND and a derelict swimming pool has been demolished to be replaced with a three-classroom modular building.

Bingley Grammar had been earmarked for a total rebuild under the Building Schools for the Future programme, but the Bingley school missed out when the programme was scrapped in 2010, before any work had begun.

Councillor Sue Duffy, portfolio holder for children and families, said the new buildings would give students and teachers "more space and improved facilities, helping them to learn and work in a brighter, more comfortable environment".

"The expansion will also make it easier for local families to secure school places close to home," she added.

The council is working with Watson Batty Architects and consultants Atkins Realis to deliver the project.

The matter will be considered by the council's executive on Tuesday.

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