Have a say on Shepshed schools' plan

You have until Tuesday 10th November to have your say on £17.5m plans to transform education on the Shepshed Schools' Campus.

The consultation is seeking views on a number of proposed changes to Iveshead School and St Botolphs Primary School, which are all based on the same site off Forest Street, as well as the development of further school places for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities.

The schemes are funded jointly by Leicestershire County Council and a Department for Education grant, and will take place over the next three years.

The proposals will help meet demand for school places arising from new housing developments in the area as well as the need for further SEND places.

The proposals are set out in stages, will take place over the next few years and include:

• Building a six-classroom block extension and adapting Iveshead School for secondary school pupils. This development will allow pupils to move from two separate buildings (secondary and high school) spread over the site into one dedicated school. This first stage will enable the school to open for the start of the 2021-22 academic year.

• The second stage will see the former high school building transformed into a state of the art 630-place school for St Botolphs Primary School. This stage will be complete in early summer 2022 and the school will gradually increase places available in the following years to grow its capacity from 280 to 630 places.

• The final stage will see the Department for Education (DfE) build a new 50-place school on the current St Botolphs school site for children with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs.

Deborah Taylor, Leicestershire County Council cabinet member for children and family services said:
 
"Developing more school places for children of all ages and abilities, particularly those with special educational needs or disabilities, is an absolutely key priority of the council and these proposals would help to meet growing demand in Shepshed.

“We want all children to have access to first-class local schools and we remain committed to creating more places where there is a need to do so."