A Huddersfield school is set to be given a £3m cash injection to accommodate its growing numbers.
North Huddersfield Trust School in Fartown will get a new five-classroom teaching block and 150 places added to the school permanently. These will be allocated across each year in groups of thirty with the intake increasing from 180 pupils per year to 210.
For four years, Kirklees has been experiencing a population bulge in children of Secondary School age. Dewsbury and North Huddersfield are said to be the two areas most affected by this increase in students and in need of some extra spaces.
Manor Croft Academy in Dewsbury has already received a £2.7m investment from the council in December 2021 and is also being given a 150-place expansion.
To meet the demand for school places, North Huddersfield Trust School has already taken in extra pupils and – if Kirklees Cabinet agrees to the proposals when they meet next week – it will permanently expand from 900 to 1050 places.
In the short term from September 2023, modular buildings would be used by staff and pupils. But it is hoped that the new block could be ready after one school year.
The school and council have been working together on the proposal with the plans expected to benefit thousands of families for years to come.
Image: West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Cllr Carole Pattison, Cabinet member for Learning, Aspiration and Communities, said: “These are exciting proposals which not only meet the demand for places in North Huddersfield but will also make a long-term difference for so many families.
“Schools are at the centre of their communities. They deliver vital educational, health and well-being activities for children, parents and the wider community.
“North Huddersfield Trust School have been involved in the early design stages of the proposed new classrooms and, subject to approval by Cabinet, we will continue working with them all the way through to completion.
“These works would be a major boost in ensuring young people have the best possible opportunities to achieve well and fulfil their ambitions.
“Meeting the need for places is essential across Kirklees and we’ve been grateful to work with many schools who, like North Huddersfield Trust School. have agreed to accept additional pupils.”
