Oversubscribed Rotherham school to expand by 210 places

Waverley Junior Academy in Catcliffe is set for expansion

An oversubscribed school in Rotherham will be able to offer an extra 210 places by 2025, it has been announced.

About 27 youngsters were denied a place at Waverley Junior Academy in Catcliffe last year.

The school opened in September 2020 as part of a new housing scheme at the old Orgreave Colliery and Coking Works.

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council heard more than 1,500 homes were now occupied, which triggered the release of funding for a school expansion.

The creation of extra spaces is estimated to cost up to £2.9m.

It will be paid for by property developer Harworth Group as part of £3.13m section 106 funding, the Local Democracy Service reports.

Section 106 funding comes from a legal agreement between councils and developers to provide funds for the infrastructure needed for their projects to go ahead.

The council said demand for places at Waverley Junior Academy "has far exceeded the government formula and the pupil yield rate for the borough".

The local authority said it expected this trend to continue.

Last year, some children denied a place at the school had to be sent to other schools in the area - an option, which the council said, would be exhausted by 2024.

A planning application for the new school is expected by January 2024, with the project to be completed by August 2025.