PRESSURE for primary school places in the South Ockendon area of Thurrock means Thurrock Council will be putting £2½ million into the area.
The council’s annual review of forecasts for pupil places has shown a large increase is being experienced with in-year admissions especially in the west of the borough.
Earlier this year, as part of the agreement to relocate the Pupil Support Service from Ockendon to a new building on the former Jack Lobley School site in Tilbury, the council agreed the former Knightsmead School should be declared surplus.
On Wednesday (24 June) the council unanimously agreed to revisit that decision and, instead, to invest in the Fortin Close site.
Speaking after the meeting, Council Leader and portfolio holder for education, Cllr John Kent, said: “I was really pleased council agreed this extra capital spending.
“We’re looking at re-commissioning the old Knightsmead site – a previous special school – and creating a link building to expand the current Somers Heath school, providing much-needed classrooms and room for an additional 210 pupils.”
The council agreed a multi-disciplinary team providing specialist services needs to be brought in to oversee the re-commissioning.
This was agreed when Cllr Kent introduced the School Capital Programme Update which also explained how the demand for pupil places increased significantly across the borough in recent months, including a “large increase in ‘in term’ admissions from families” moving to the area.
A report to council explained that in 2013/14, 209 children moved into the borough Thurrock from outside the UK, and 590 came from within the country.
But fhe first five months of this year alone saw 199 children move here from abroad and 493 from within the UK.
It said: “The demand does not appear to be slowing, and this level of demand has not been seen before. To be in a position to accommodate this demand, we are building in an additional seven per cent of surplus places on top of the forecasts.”
