Secondary schools to expand amid higher demand

An extra 63 places will be made available at south east Wolverhampton secondaries under plans being discussed by the council

A council is set to approve plans to expand secondary schools in an area of Wolverhampton amid increased demand for places.

From September 2025, 63 additional places are proposed across two academies and one maintained school, according to City of Wolverhampton Council documents.

To facilitate the move, a total of £3.2m funding is required for extra classrooms and science provision at Ormiston SWB Academy and the second academy, Moseley Park.

The proposals, which are recommended for approval, would "allow more families to attend a preferred school", the report to the authority's cabinet said.

Moseley Park in Bilston was judged "outstanding" when inspected by Ofsted in January

The cabinet report states a 2% surplus of places is required to enable parental choice and cater to fluctuations in demand, including in-year applications.

It reveals an additional 79 places for September have already been provided between Ormiston SWB Academy and Colton Hills Community School.

It is proposed Ormiston, Colton Hills and Moseley Park expand permanently from the following year onwards.

According to the report, Ormiston SWB Academy in Bilston is "significantly oversubscribed" and receives a high number of appeals over placement.

An extra class of 30 year 7s was introduced in 2018, with further so-called "bulge" classes in 2019, 2022 and also planned for September.

The council said the school required a £1.75m investment for building works to permanently increase its yearly intake to 230.

Colton Hills Community School will increase pupil numbers without need for investment, according to the council report

Moseley Park, also in Bilston, is proposing to expand its year 7 intake permanently in 2025 from 186 to 200.

The Central Learning Partnership Trust (CLPT) which runs it also plans to fund a new sports hall on the site.

The council said the trust required £1.45m via a grant agreement to realise the project.

The costs of the schemes is set to be met through the council's existing secondary school expansion programme budget.

Increased admission numbers for Colton Hills Community School, however, would not need any investment, the report said.

The school hopes to increase year groups from 161 to 180 but has no need to expand its premises to do so.

The council's cabinet meets on 10 July at 17:00 BST to decide on the proposals.