Hundreds Of New School Places On The South Coast

19 July 2013, 09:38

The government's announced its creating hundreds of school places across Hampshire and Dorset.

On Thursday 18 July, the Minister of State for Schools announced details of capital funding of around £820m nationwide that will provide new, high quality school places in locations that need more school places.

The Targeted Basic Need funding brings the total amount of funding allocated to local authorities for new school places over the current spending review period to over £5 billion - more than double the £1.9 billion spent by the previous government over an equivalent period.

That funding is sufficient to provide the 417,000 places we need by 2015. By September this year, we expect 190,000 extra places will have been created with more in the pipeline.

Our main basic need allocations – which go directly to local authorities, and are based on projections of their need – were issued in March, and gave authorities funding for the next 2 years, enabling them to plan provision. Those allocations totalled some £1.6bn and will support local authorities to keep pace with projections of demand.

This additional funding, over and above existing allocations, was announced by the Chancellor in the autumn statement and will provide further high quality places. The funding is targeted to provide additional support to those local authorities experiencing the greatest pressure on places through the funding of new academies and free schools, as well as enabling investment to expand good and outstanding schools with high levels of demand.

The targeted basic need programme will deliver around 74,000 new pupil places in 45 new schools and through the expansion of 333 outstanding and good schools. A full list of projects that will be funded is available on this page, more details of the funding are in the written ministerial statement on GOV.UK.

The schools included on the South Coast, and the number of new places, are:

Hampshire

All Saints Church of England Primary School - 70
Burnham Copse Primary School - 105
Church Crookham Junior School - 120
Kings Worthy Primary School - 70
Locks Heath Junior School - 120
Newport Junior School - 90
Nightingale Primary School - 105
Pilgrims' Cross CofE Aided Primary School - 105
Wellstead Primary School - 210
Calthorpe Park School - 300

Poole

New School, Poole [BH14 0PZ] - 360
Oakdale Junior School (currently Oakdale South Road Middle) - 160

Bournemouth

Avonbourne School - 420
Christ The King Catholic Primary School - 210

Councillor Nicola Greene, Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services at Bournemouth Borough Council, said:

“We have seen a dramatic rise in numbers of births over the last five years which has put pressure on the number of primary school places needed in Bournemouth.

"We have been working closely with both schools to decide the best options as well as discussing issues and benefits of the school expansions and have agreed the best way forward to meet the demand whilst causing as little disruption to pupils and staff as possible.”