£1.5 million for Gloucestershire schools could be approved
Plans will be taken to the county council this week
On Wednesday 22 June, Gloucestershire County Council’s cabinet will be asked to approve almost £1.5 million in additional funding for schools.
£1.5 million for Gloucestershire schools
- £650,000 for a new 60-place primary special school in Stroud
- £350,000 for a 35-place expansion of Twyning Primary School in Tewkesbury
- £150,000 for additional facilities at Bettridge Special School in Cheltenham
- £98,000 for improvements at Oak Hill Primary School in Tewkesbury
- £172,000 for improvements at Dene Magna School in the Forest of Dean
- £74,000 towards additional Sixth Form provision at The Cotswold School
If approved, the new special school in Stroud will support 60 children aged 4-11 with moderate and additional learning difficulties in the school building formerly occupied by Severn View Primary Academy. The planned opening date is September 2023.
There is an increasing demand in Gloucestershire for special school places, which means children sometimes go to schools out of the county or to independent schools when there aren’t places available locally. The council wants to expand provision in county to make sure more children can go to school close to where they live and that specialist places are available where there is the most demand.
Twyning Primary School will be expanded to increase its overall capacity by 35 places to meet the increased demand for places within the village from September 2024.
Bettridge Special School requires some remodelling and refurbishment of some of its classrooms to meet the needs of children attending the school.
The council has received developer contributions for Oak Hill Primary School and Dene Magna School, which will be used for general improvements and to increase the capacity of the schools. Developer contributions for The Cotswold School will be put towards the ongoing work to increase Sixth Form provision.
Cllr Philip Robinson, cabinet member for economy, education and skills at Gloucestershire County Council said: “Ongoing investment in our young people is hugely important. We remain committed to ensuring that all Gloucestershire children have access to a high-quality education, and I’m proud of the fact that we’ve invested, over the past few years, more than £100 million in the county’s schools.”