Extra places at school could be made permanent

Beaumont School in St Albans has been taking an extra class of pupils each year since 2022

Education officials have drawn up plans that could permanently increase the number of places at an over-subscribed secondary school.

Beaumont School in St Albans, Hertfordshire, can offer just 210 places to new pupils starting each September, but since 2022 it has been taking an extra class.

Funding plans for additional facilities to support an increase in students to 240 a year were discussed at a county council meeting on Tuesday.

Councillors were told there was an opportunity for a joint project with the Department for Education (DfE) to enable an expansion of the school.

While the expansion would provide an opportunity for the county council to secure good value, a report did acknowledge a level of "risk" associated with the project.

But the financial implications of the project were not reported in public - with discussion about the finances held in private.

Proposals were outlined at a county council education, libraries and lifelong learning cabinet panel meeting

Before backing the proposal, councillors heard that demand for places at Beaumont School was "significant", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

More than 1,200 pupils applied for year seven places at the school for September - with 400 of those being first choices.

Councillors heard that children had to live within 660 metres of the school in order to secure a place, according to "last distance" criteria.

'Permanent basis'

More widely it was reported that demand for secondary school places in St Albans had risen significantly in the last decade.

Ten years ago, 1,268 pupils entered secondary schools in the city, with the figure now at 1,800 - an increase of more than 40%.

According to the officers’ report, the council had already invested more than £28m to ensure sufficient places across St Albans.

At the meeting the proposal was unanimously backed by members of the cabinet panel.

A future meeting of the council’s cabinet will be asked to determine whether – or not – to approve the capital funding.

A decision on whether the school could expand on a permanent basis would be made by the DfE’s regional director.