St Bartholomew’s CE Primary School – Expansion – Additional Information

 

St Bartholomew’s CE Primary school is currently a 1.5 form entry primary school in Penn Wolverhampton. We are a heavily oversubscribed, Ofsted outstanding primary school, predominantly serving families within a one-mile radius of the school. Each year many families who have selected St Bartholomew’s as their first-place primary school for their child are disappointed, despite it being their closest school, as there are not enough places to cater for demand. As a result, Wolverhampton City Council have requested that the Pupil Allocation Number (PAN) for the school is increased by 15 pupils a year, over a 7-year period, eventually leading to a total increase of 105 pupils.

 

For this to take place, the school require additional accommodation. In response to the need for additional accommodation, a review has taken place of the current school layout to identify the scope / schedule of works required to house the increased pupil numbers. The works proposed include several alterations to the existing building, including some internal remodel, expansion of the school hall and a new build nursery and reception building. The new building is proposed to be located adjacent to the field, on the site of existing, poor quality buildings and an unused trim trail. The new building is designed to fit in with the original school buildings, utilising tiled pitched roofs, red brickwork and chalk board surfaces. The new classrooms will open onto the playground with large areas of glazing to maximise natural light and provide the best possible learning environment for the children.

 

The school have recognised that additional pupils will require consideration to how current drop off / Pick-up arrangements are managed. The school is fully committed to promoting sustainable travel among both pupils and staff creating a safe environmental for all to travel to and from school and being a good neighbour to local residents by ensuring where possible that parents do not park indiscriminately on local roads. The planning application is accompanied by a Travel Plan which is a commitment by the school to promote sustainable travel. A specialised Travel Plan Coordinator will be appointed to encourage both staff and pupils to travel by sustainable modes. Measures include walking buses, cycle proficiency tests and car sharing initiatives.

 

The school also intend to introduce staggered start/finish times for pupils by Key Stage, this will mean that the number of parents arriving and departing the school at the same time will be reduced, with the intended purpose of reducing the impact of cars parking on both Sedgley Road and Pennwood Lane. Whilst the proposals only result in an additional 2 staff. the proposals will include a plan to create an additional 2 parking spaces on the existing staff car park, within the school boundary.

 

Your feedback is welcome at this stage via the Survey Monkey link:

 

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/LSDSNMJ

 

There will also be an opportunity to comment on the Validated Planning Application to the City Council when it’s submitted.