The new building would accommodate three extra classrooms, pupil toilets, storage space and lobby area
Plans to for a £1.3m expansion of a primary school could take a step closer next week.(Image: )
Plans to for a £1.3m expansion of a primary school could take a step closer next week. The extra three classrooms at Ebbsfleet Green Primary School will be needed because Dartford borough’s rapidly increasing population.
A planning application is currently being prepared by an external consultant and it is unlikely to meet any serious challenge when it is considered next week by members at Kent County Council (KCC).
The Maritime Academy Trust, which opened the school in 2020, was initially able to accommodate the extra pupils in two unused classrooms. But as the primary has grown further, it needs to build a separate “modular” building at the rear of the site in Weldon Road, Swanscombe. The school would otherwise be at full capacity by September this year.
The new building would accommodate three extra classrooms, pupil toilets, storage space and lobby area. The project will cost £1,294,245 according to feasibility studies but the final tendered contract price may come in at around £1,200,000.
KCC officers will be monitoring the contract to ensure the cost is kept as low as possible. KCC papers state: “Ebbsfleet Green Primary School was opened in direct response to the rapid expansion of the Ebbsfleet Garden City development – part of a large-scale project delivering thousands of new homes and community infrastructure.
“As a result of this rapid expansion and delays to the opening of the new primary school at Alkerden Church of England Academy, KCC needed additional Year R primary school places to manage the increase in demand for the September 2024 and September 2025 intakes.
“One strategy for providing additional Year R school places for these two years has been to expand existing successful and popular schools.” A recent KCC report revealed Dartford’s population has grown by almost 39% in the past two decades.
The school takes children from nursery age to Year 6 and also has places to accommodate children with autism.
The KCC papers state: “By permanently installing three additional classrooms along with appropriate ancillary space, it will provide the school with sufficient space to safely accommodate the two additional…classes and create a second nursery class, providing much needed additional early years places in the locality.”
The document to go before the Children, Young People and Education (CYPE) cabinet committee on January 20.
The local county councillor for the area, Cllr Thomas Mallon, who sits on the CYPE committee, welcomed the increased capacity at the school.
He said: “I was very pleased to read about the planning application to expand the school and I will be fully endorsing this proposal as it is fantastic news for for local residents with young children.
“I am aware of some families needing to travel to Swanscombe and Greenhithe for their children’s primary school needs. It’s great news not just for Ebbsfleet but the surrounding areas too.”
Ebbsfleet Green was given a “good” rating in all areas of inspection by government watchdog Ofsted in its report dated May 2023.
If CYPE endorses the scheme it will be in the hands of the education cabinet portfolio holder Cllr Beverley Fordham to make the final decision.
