City schools set to expand to meet demand

Four schools in a city are set to expand to meet rising demand from local families for pupil places.

Peterborough City Council has agreed to fund the works, with some construction already under way.

The four schools are: Stanground Academy, Marshfields School and NeneGate School in the city, and the Duke of Bedford Primary School in Thorney.

Katy Cole, the council's cabinet member for children's services, said the authority based its decision to extend the schools on "current and forecast pupil demand in these areas".

She said: "The council has a statutory duty to provide a school place for every child living in its area of responsibility who is of school age and whose parents want their child educated in the state sector.

"We want every Peterborough child to attend a school within the city and these projects demonstrate the hard work and investment the council are making in achieving this aim."

Peterborough is one of the fastest-growing cities in the UK.

Its population was 215,700 according to the last census in 2021, a 17.5% increase from 2011 compared with 6.6% for England.

The council also said the number of children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) was continuing to rise, particularly for children with severe learning difficulties and mental health needs.

NeneGate School, a specialist school for pupils aged eight to 16, is expected to have a new teaching block with five classrooms by September 2026.

If approved by planners, this will accommodate an extra 40 pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs at the school, phased over two years.

Marshfields School in Dogsthorpe, which specialises in pupils who have learning difficulties and additional needs, will get two additional classrooms to create 16 places for primary-aged children with severe learning difficulties.

Those works are expected to start in July and be ready to use from September.

Works are already under way at Stanground Academy, a secondary school and sixth form, to get additional dining room space that should be finished by September.

The Duke of Bedford Primary School in Thorney will have two mobile classroom units with toilets, which will increase its capacity by 15 pupils for each school year, which should be completed by September.

Part of this project is being funded using contributions from Allison Homes, which has a housing development in the village.

The BBC asked the council how much funding it would provide for the expansion, and how much pupil demand was expected to increase by.

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