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School to get 300 more pupils under expansion plan

Plume Academy A wide, two-storey school building at Plume Academy, made out of red brick and featuring lots of windows with white panes. There are various plants in front of the building and the picture has been taken on a sunny day.Plume Academy
Plume Academy has 1,736 pupils on its roll, according to the latest government data

A secondary school is set to welcome 300 extra students after a £14.8m expansion plan was agreed.

The work at Plume Academy in Maldon, Essex, would take place over the next three academic years and take total pupil numbers to more than 2,000.

Essex County Council said more spaces were needed due to two new housing developments being built in the area.

It is hoped the first stage of the project, focused on the lower school, will be completed in September 2025.

The council said this would create 60 new places for Year 7 pupils next year, with work on the upper school campus to be completed in September 2026.

Conservative councillors confirmed the £14.8m investment during a cabinet meeting on Thursday.

Simon Dedman/BBC A girl draws on some paper during an art class at Plume Academy. Only the side of her head can be seen, but she is wearing glasses and has long brown hair. The paper is on a table with other sheets of paper. In front of the girl are chairs and another table. At the back of the picture is a worktop with various classroom tools, such as scissors and pens, on it.Simon Dedman/BBC
Fewer pupils will have to travel out of town to go to school when Plume Academy is expanded, the county council says

Tony Ball, cabinet member for education excellence, lifelong learning and employability, said the scheme would alleviate pressure on a "rapidly growing" town.

"Working with Plume School Academy Trust on this project will ensure more pupils in and around the area can benefit," he added.

The council said expanding would mean fewer pupils needed to travel out of town to get to school.

Government figures showed Plume had 1,736 students on its roll at the last inspection.

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