Plan for more Leeds school places

Leeds City Council last week approved a design and cost report to expand the capacity of Shakespeare Primary School, in Burmantofts, from 315 places to 630.

The project will cost £11.5 million and is planned to be completed by September 2018.

This will see the school moved from its current building in Shakespeare Gardens to a new building on the former Primrose High School site off Lincoln Road. The scheme comes as the city tries to cope with increasing demand for school places, which last year hit a 15-year peak.

In a report to the council’s director of children’s services, project manager Jacqueline Robertson said: “Leeds has an extremely dynamic and growing economy which makes the city a very attractive proposition for families and businesses to move to.

“As a result, the city’s population is growing rapidly, at a faster rate than many of our neighbours and this is reflected in the increasing demand for school places. The proposal to expand and relocate Shakespeare Primary School will enable the increased demand for pupil places in Burmantofts and surrounding areas served by the school to be met.”

The project will see the school go from a 1.5-form entry to a three-form entry with a total around 90 pupils being accepted to three classes per school year.

The planning application for the project is due to be submitted in March with full permission set to be granted in June.

The deadline to submit primary school applications was last Sunday with parents expected to receive offers by email on April 16.