In Wandsworth, councilors have agreed to spend £15.6m adding extra classrooms at some of the borough’s primary, secondary and special schools. The proposed investment will mean local schools have enough classroom space to cater for rising pupils numbers while also providing a greater scope of choice for parents and students when looking into schools.

Schools in areas ranging from Southfields to Balham, Tooting to Putney will benefit from the expansion. These include: Chesnut Grove Academy, Ark Academy, Riversdale School and many more across the borough. The key improvements made will center around increasing the intake of each school. This will enable more local children to have access to a good, if not outstanding, rated education within their own borough. However, there will also be work done in certain primary schools that will establish new units to support children with special needs. The importance of this part of the scheme cannot be emphasized enough as vital resources will become available to and directly benefit some of the borough’s most vulnerable children.

The council’s cabinet member for education Cllr Sarah McDermott said: “This is a substantial programme of investment that will provide additional classroom places at some of our best performing and most popular schools. This is great news for local parents who will have more options and greater choice when it comes to choosing a school for their children.”

Neighbouring borough Merton are also looking to improve education options with the construction of a new secondary school. With the dramatic improvement in academic success attained in Merton secondary schools in the last few years, the council wants to ensure that all local children have the chance to enjoy a great Merton education.

 

The council have announced with ‘pride’ their proposed plans for introducing a new secondary school to the Wimbledon area. The final designs and development suggestions are now in the last stages of gaining approval but the hope is that by 2020, the new Harris Wimbledon will be open to receive pupils. Certainly, it is uplifting to see the council focusing so carefully on education and helping provide for the next generation.