The creation of new satellite sites from some of Liverpool’s special schools and expansion of maintained schools to address the city’s admission issues has been confirmed.
In a bid to tackle the ongoing need for school places across the city, Liverpool Council has signed off on plans for new satellite locations for two of its existing special schools. The authority is to move ahead with the creation of Bank View South, a satellite of Bank View High School, at the former Parklands School site, Ganworth Road. Bank View School would remain at its site in Fazakerley, but a new satellite site will open at Parklands for children with complex needs.
It will be used from the next school year for up to 60 Year 7 pupils, increasing by a year group each year until it has a total of 300 pupils up to Year 11. However, it is anticipated the budget for the site will be increased by half a million pounds to £2.5m owing to what the council described as “construction inflation, the need to relocate New Heights to another part of the site and the need to phase the work over a period of time as the school will be operational.”
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An additional £250,000 is to be added to the costs of plans for a satellite location for Palmerston School on the former Palmerston site, on Beaconsfield Road. The former school building, which was closed when the new school building opened, would be used for pupils with severe/profound and multiple learning difficulties.
The new site will offer a curriculum for students aged 14-19 and an increase in the number of Year 7 pupils on the main site. Both new locations are to be operational from September 1, with any building work taking place before the end of the summer term.
Headteachers and governing bodies of the existing school would remain in place at the satellite locations. As part of the changes, Princes Primary School on Selbourne Street will also move.
A former primary school site on Colwell Road has been identified as a preferred location, with the council preparing to engage with the school to develop the requirements for the new building and carry out a detailed feasibility to develop outline plans and costings. A satellite site for Millstead Primary School at a former school site on Naylorsfield Drive in Netherley will also be set up subject to the results of a statutory consultation which ends on Thursday.
Elsewhere, more than £5m is to be released to expand provision at three other city schools. A grant of £1.5m is to be spent to support the expansion of King David High School by 50 pupils over a period of five years, while £4.2m is to be used to complete expansion of Liverpool College and Belvedere Academy agreed by the council’s cabinet in August 2021.
The local authority has also made two significant financial decisions. The cabinet this morning agreed to accept £600,000 from the Liverpool BID Company to underwrite the Eurovision fan village to be staged at the Pier Head.
It has also agreed to a rapid review of the controversial Mayoral Neighbourhood Fund so newly elected councillors can have their say post-May’s elections.
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