School expansion starts
Tuesday June 16, 2009
Work will start in July on Lady Margaret School’s new sixth form block, as part of the council’s plans to transform secondary schools in the borough. Work on a new sixth form centre for Phoenix High is also set to start ahead of schedule.
Increasing the number of pupils at the most popular schools; a sixth-form for every secondary; and a new Fulham College, are at the heart of the council’s £175 million Schools of Choice programme.
The Parson’s Green school will take additional sixth form students from September 2010. There are also plans for Lady Margaret to expand by one class per year, meaning 30 more pupils will get places at the school from 2012 onwards.
Lady Margaret is the borough’s most over-subscribed school. The school’s record for excellent academic performance is long-standing. Last summer 92 per cent of pupils gained five or more A* GCSEs, making Lady Margaret one of the best performing schools in the country. In 2007 the school was the fourth ranking state school in the country and the sixth form was judged to be `outstanding’ in its last Ofsted inspection.
The Learning Skills Council is backing the three-storey 1,220 sq m sixth form block. The new building will house a main hall, study area and common room, four classrooms, an ICT suite, a music technology room, music practice rooms and staff offices. The building will also be available for local groups and parents to use.
“Making sure as many families as possible get their children into their top choice local school is what this transformation is all about,” said H&F cabinet member, Councillor Antony Lillis. In explaining the need for change, he pointed to the high proportion of pupils in H&F who go to schools outside the borough or to private schools.
“Sixty two per cent of local children go to secondary schools outside the borough or into private education. We want more parents to choose local schools. These are the changes parents have told us they want to see.”
Head of Lady Margaret, Sally Whyte, said: "I am delighted that we are able to go ahead with this new development which will enable us to offer a greater number of places on A Level courses to local girls. We also intend to offer some courses in applied learning which will enable more of our pupils to access appropriate post-16 studies at Lady Margaret School."
In the north of the borough, there are plans for a similar transformation at Phoenix High School. The council is looking to spend £9m on developing a brand-new four-storey-high sixth form centre, giving the school’s pupils the chance to stay on after 16.
Phoenix is one of the most rapidly improving schools in the country and was recently described by Ofsted inspectors as ‘outstanding’, and ‘a remarkable school (that) continues to transform the life chances of students and their families.”
Phoenix head, Sir William Atkinson, is confident that a new sixth form would bring major benefits to the whole school, if the scheme gets approved by the government. “We are delighted that we will be able to offer post-16 education from September 2010,” he said. “In total there will be 130 places in 2010 followed by an additional 130 places in 2011, making a grand total of 260.”
In recognition that it is a high-performing school, the government has given approval for the school’s expansion ahead of schedule.
Other schools are also set for major improvement programmes, building on each of their strengths.
Sacred Heart High will also be expanding its annual intake and getting a new sixth form. Fulham Cross and Henry Compton schools are joining forces to create a ground-breaking Fulham College in the heart of the borough.
And work started last week on a completely new, state-of-the-art Hammersmith Academy, off Goldhawk Road, which will open its doors in 2012, further expanding the choice of quality schools in H&F.
Primary schools are not being left out.
£70m is being spent on building works in primary schools across the borough, bring the schools improvement programme to a total £245m programme over the next 15 years.
As more parents choose to send their children to local schools, demand for places in the borough is increasing, and the council is working with several popular and oversubscribed schools to offer more places in September.
Read more on the detailed Schools of Choice programme.
