Croydon Council has set out its plans to deliver a school place and an excellent education for every child now and in the future through planning, partnership and innovation.
A cabinet report published here reveals ambitious proposals for the creation of 430 new, mainstream, year 7 secondary school places; 270 primary school reception year places; and 80 special educational needs places in a new special school, over the next three years. Working in partnership with education providers and the Department for Education (DfE), the council plans to deliver these additional places through expansion of existing schools, as well as the development of several brand new schools across the borough.
This includes a proposal for two new primary free schools to be opened in 2020 – one two-form entry and the other three-form entry. Also, the creation of a brand new, 150-place, specialist free school for students with special educational needs, designed to meet growing demand and significantly improve the local offer for these children and young people.
Two brand new, six-form entry secondary free schools are proposed for 2018 and 2019 – in the north and south of the borough, subject to approval of the Local Plan in 2018. Meanwhile, additional places at The Archbishop Lanfranc School are due to be available in September 2018. The DfE has also approved Harris Federation to establish a further secondary free school in the borough, with delivery dates to be confirmed.
Also contained in the report is the proposed two-year maintenance programme for community schools across the borough, reflecting the council’s commitment to a high-quality learning environment for all.
“We want Croydon to be a place of opportunity for everyone and central to this is maximising young people’s life chances through access to an excellent education.
“As London’s growth borough we are always looking to the future and we have a strong track record in planning, partnership and innovation to meet demand, creating over 10,000 new primary places and nearly 2,000 new secondary places over the last six academic years.
“We will continue to ensure that as our borough regenerates, every child is offered a place in the high quality learning environment they deserve. We have some really exciting projects planned to deliver excellence in education – and I am particularly delighted that our new special school for children with special educational needs aged 2-19 years will significantly improve life chances for these young people locally.”
Councillor Alisa Flemming, cabinet member for children, young people and learning
