Planning details revealed for two new primary schools in North East Lincolnshire
Work could start in the autumn
Last updated 2nd Jun 2023
Full details have been revealed for how two new primary schools in the Grimsby area will look – if plans go ahead.
The council is proposing the schools, each with 222 places, in Scartho and Waltham, due to growing demand, partly due to housing developments.
One would be at Sunningdale, Waltham, and the other off Matthew Telford Park, Scartho Top, close to the Aldi supermarket. Planning applications were filed last month after a public consultation.
If approved, construction would begin in September this year, with the schools due to be completed ahead of the 2024 autumn term. Funding would be provided by housing developers and via the council.
The new schools would alleviate pressure on existing schools in the area, including Fairfield, Springfield, Scartho Infants and Nursery and Scartho Junior.
In Scartho Top, a new access road would be built off Matthew Telford Park, just past the Aldi supermarket. The school would have 20 car parking spaces, including three disabled spots and six with EV charging points. There would be 36 cycle spaces.
The building would contain eight classrooms, including one for special educational needs, as well as a 178sq m hall, quiet rooms, a sick bay and more. The car park and an outdoor play area for the oldest children would be immediately behind the supermarket.
In Waltham, the new primary school wouldl have a classroom for each year group and reception and nursery classrooms. Vehicle access would be via Sunningdale, on the southern edge of the site.
A car park would have 22 spaces, at least two disabled, and six EV charging points. An existing hedgerow running through the site would be removed, with new hedgerows planted on the boundaries.
Besides four outdoor play areas, there would be playing fields and a 100m running track at both schools. The Waltham playing fields would include two five-a-side football pitches and an under-11s football pitch. Both sites would have wildlife areas, measuring 120 sq m, for the children to enjoy.
CCTV would be installed outside both schools to deter illegal parking.
Meanwhile, 12 new school places, offering specialist support, have been announced for Littlecoates Primary Academy, in Grimsby, part of the Wellbeing Academy Trust. North East Lincolnshire’s SEND team will manage admissions.
The new special needs provision at Littlecoates is called Launch Pad and will be the first of its kind in North East Lincolnshire. It will be specially designed as “turnaround provision” for early years and children aged 4-6. This is where children have-low level additional needs, but can enter mainstream schooling with some short-term support.
Cllr Margaret Cracknell, portfolio holder for children and education, thanked Littlecoates and its academy trust for their support of the initiative. She said Launch Pad was not a “catch-all solution”, but would make a difference to a good number of students.
“There are a lot of children in our area who have some additional needs, but can continue successfully in a mainstream school provided that they receive some targeted support at a key point in their education journey,” she said.
Neville Wilkinson, the principal of Littlecoates, said: “This new specialist service is going to be a fantastic asset for the whole community.”