Green light for Worksop post-16 centre expansion will create 120 extra places

New Nottinghamshire County Council papers have approved the extension of Outwood Grange Academies Trust’s (OGAT) post-16 hub, in Valley Road.

The trust is funding the £1m extension itself in a bid to tackle an over-subscription of pupil numbers.

Currently, the post-16 site can accommodate 440 pupils but is already operating above its capacity, documents say.

The extension was given planning consent by Bassetlaw District Council in 2020 but progress has not yet been made.

Bassetlaw planning documents say a single-storey extension will lead to four new classrooms being built on-site alongside 15 extra car parking spaces.

The total pupil capacity will then rise to 660, with papers saying a 20-week construction period is due to begin in the coming months.

The county council says the extension is “necessary to continue to provide quality post-16 education in Worksop”.

It will couple the recent approval of a major expansion to the nearby Outwood Academy Portland, in Netherton Road, to add 300 more pupils for ages 11-16.

The Conservative-led authority granted planning consent for the secondary school expansion on February 28, taking the total number up to 1,800 pupils.

Mark Walker, interim service director for place and communities at the authority, said in a report: “This project provides additional post-16 places to serve current demand within Worksop.

“[It] will also support council basic need proposals for the expansion of the OGAT Portland school site, which are currently being developed.”

Councillor Keith Girling (Con), cabinet member for asset management, approved the post-16 expansion during a delegated decision on Monday (March 13).

Planning documents submitted by the trust in 2020 added: “Outwood Grange Academies Trust wish to construct an extension to create new classrooms at the Worksop post-16 centre.

“This will enable the school to accommodate increasing numbers of students.”

The recent Outwood Academy Portland expansion was approved by the authority to combat increasing demand on local education.

The academy is one of two secondary schools managed by the trust, with Outwood Academy Valley also under its control.

The council’s February 28 planning and rights of way committee heard there is expected to be a 446-place gap in school places in Worksop by 2031/32.

This, the authority says, is being fuelled by a rise in the number of new housing developments either being built or planned in the area.

The secondary school expansion will lead to 111 full-time and 65 part-time jobs being created at an academy currently rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.

Cllr Philip Owen (Con), a former chairman of the council’s children and young people’s committee, praised the work of the trust before voting to approve the school’s expansion.

He said: “The beauty of this is that, because of the work of the OGAT over a number of years, we’re not only creating school places, but creating them at a good school.”

He also described it as a “no-brainer”.

And Danielle Sheehan, academy principal, previously told parents the plans are a “fantastic opportunity for the school”.

She said in November: “We were keen to support this initiative. We consider this a fantastic opportunity for the school as it also allows us to provide a solution to the growing pressure on school places.”