01 Sep @Essex_CC creates 2,415 extra primary places for new school year
Essex County Council has created about 2,000 new primary school places ahead of the new academic year.
The council has spent about £36 million creating 2,415 new places across Essex, including the new 420-place Camulos Academy in Colchester.
With most pupils returning to school next week, many of the projects have already been completed while building works are continuing at some of the schools.
The schemes will allow all of the schools involved to admit additional pupils from the start of term.
Other big projects include 210-place expansions at Lee Chapel Primary School and Larchwood Primary School.
The new Magna Carta Primary Academy in Stansted Mountfitchet will also have its first intake of 30 reception pupils.
The school will temporarily be based at the Peter Kirk Centre while building works on its permanent home at the former St Mary’s Primary School site in St John’s Road are completed.
Magna Carta Primary Academy will eventually accommodate 210 pupils.
Cllr Ray Gooding, Essex County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, said: “Essex is growing fast and the demand for school places is also continuing to rise.
“I am delighted a number of the county’s schools will be able to take extra pupils this academic year to help meet that demand.
“Our continued investment in creating new school places has meant we have been able to offer the vast majority of pupils a place at one of their parents’ top preferences.
“Clearly there is work still to be done and we are planning to spend about £360million over the next three years on creating thousands more school places.”
