It's a green light on £5.5 million expansion plans at two Wokingham Borough primary schools as part of the council’s strategy to ensure there are enough school places for local families.
Planning permission has been granted to expand Colleton and Hawkedon Primary Schools to create an additional 305 spaces spread across all year groups at both.
Architects and traffic experts have been working with the schools as part of the planning process to draw up schemes to minimise impact on the surrounding communities at each site.
Parents and local residents also took part in the consultation process and the council will continue to liaise closely with them.
"We have one of the fastest growing young populations in England for four to five-year-olds sending the demand for our primary school places up year on year, and indicators show this will continue," said Cllr Rob Stanton, Wokingham Borough Council’s executive member for education services.
"This is in addition to much needed new housing which is being planned across the borough, which all highlights the need to create more school places.
"We are not just expanding these two schools," he added. "We are also taking the opportunity to revitalise the rest of their facilities, so the children and staff will feel like they have new schools."
Colleton has been oversubscribed for years and is getting worse. Ofsted rates it as an outstanding school but it is located in one of the fastest growing areas of Wokingham.
The plans include additional teaching accommodation, a new hall, changing, and play features, remodelled playground, car parking and drop-off zone for improved traffic management. These works will increase places from 35 to 60 a year.
For Hawkedon this is a major extension taking the school up to three form entry and from 70 to 90 places a year. Ofsted rates it as a good school.
The plans include a number of single storey extensions and courtyard buildings, a single storey primary school building, play areas, multi-use games facilities and a traffic drop-off zone.
The council is investing £26 million in schools across the borough this year.
