Education

The North Solihull Primary School Programme

Regenerating North Solihull is not just about new houses.  It's paying for brand-new primary schools across Smith's Wood, Kingshurst, Fordbridge and Chelmsley Wood. 

Significant progress continues to be made with the transformation of the primary schools in North Solihull where the plan is to replace 15 Junior and Infant schools with 10 newly built primary school, each to accommodate up to 420 pupils and to include 'fully integrated' extended services for children and young families across the community. The partnership, approaching its fifth year, is overseeing the delivery of this programme alongside and on behalf of Solihull Council. As such the challenge of improving the education of children across the community is at the heart of one of the most significant and innovative regeneration projects in England.

However, along with every other Regeneration Partnership in the country, given a dependence upon land receipts to drive its business plan work streams, the economic downturn has taken its toll. Consequently a strategic review has been undertaken to reflect the change in the economic situation and has affected the pace of the school rebuilding programme.

Despite this development the Partnership has maintained its commitment and in the short to medium term its plans have still delivered 3 brand new schools, with construction of the fourth to commence in Spring 2012 which represents a £28m investment in the area.

Equally the wider regeneration of the North Solihull area in relation to education and children's services is also making a difference. The Council's Building Schools for the Future Programme, which was part of the Government's first wave of funding for secondary schools is now complete including the rebuilding of Lanchester Special School, Archbishop Grimshaw Catholic School, Smiths Wood Secondary School and Park Hall Academy.

Together with a special school built (Forest Oak and Merstone) with BSF Pathfinder funding and the earlier construction of a brand new Academy (GraceAcademy) the whole of the secondary estate has been rebuilt and/or transformed and the BSF schemes alone represent a further £100m investment in the area.

Here's where you'll find out everything you need to know about how schools are being affected by regeneration. Click on a school to find out more.

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