Telford £200m schools building scheme set to go ahead

The Abraham Darby site is due to be completed by the summer

A £200m schools building programme has been recommended for approval, a council has said.

Under the plans, six schools in Telford would close and be replaced with new buildings, mainly on other sites.

Telford and Wrekin Council said it had changed some of its plans after 2,000 people responded to a consultation.

A report by the council's head of education, culture and skills has urged councillors to approve the plans at a meeting on Thursday.

The plans include the building of a new Christian faith school in Priorslee to replace the Blessed Robert Johnson Catholic College.

A 1,200-pupil co-operative academy would be built on land next to Oakengates Leisure Centre, to replace Sutherland Business and Enterprise College and Wrockwardine Wood Arts College.

Lord Silkin School and Grange Park Primary will be merged and relocated to a new school site in Stirchley.

Charlton School will be rebuilt on the current Blessed Robert Johnson site.

Constructive Consultation

Councillor Paul Watling said: "We have had a very extensive and constructive consultation since we published the original proposals in November and I now feel we have support from all the schools affected.

"I'm looking forward to these new plans becoming a reality."

The work will be funded through central government grants and the sale of council assets, including some currently owned by schools.

The first phase of the authority's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme included the Madeley Academy, which opened last year, and the Abraham Darby Learning Community, which is due to be completed by the summer.

The second phase of schools building is due to be completed by 2016.