Decision details

Award of Contract for the expansion of Woodston Primary School to accommodate an additional 210 children

The award of contract for the expansion of Woodston Primary School to accommodate and additional 210 children.

The Local Authority has a statutory duty to provide school places.  There are significant pressures in the Fletton/Woodston area and the city as a whole.  Last year, 132 dwellings over three sites were built in the Woodston/Fletton ward.  As of November 2017, out of the additional 83 dwellings proposed (with planning permission) in the Fletton/Woodston ward 24 are now under construction. Woodston Primary School is also the catchment school for the Hempstead development and there are currently 172 dwellings under construction in this area.

In August 2017 a temporary double mobile classroom was placed on site to accommodate a bulge Year 1 starting in September 2017 which was due to the demand in the area.

As a result of the above, Woodston Primary School is expanding to three formsof entry. The proposed scheme will :

-       Provide a new block to accommodate a studio, 7 classrooms, food tech/breakfast club, and additional toilets over two storeys linked to the existing building

-       Extend the existing school kitchen

-       Extend the car park into the open space area

-       Relocate play park

The following options were considered and rejected:

To do nothing. This option was rejected due to the shortage of primary pupil places in PE1 and the Local Authority’s statutory duty to provide sufficient school places.

Alternative sites within the Fletton/Woodston area were considered but rejected, as this site offers the most appropriate and cost effective option. 

To use the existing EFA framework with Carillion – this was rejected due to the timescale of the framework.

None.

School Organisation Plan 2012-2017