New schools set to become heart of proposed Waverley community

Two new primary schools will be built as part of a brand new community on the border of Rotherham and Sheffield, if plans for the development of the Waverley site get the go-ahead.

A report by the planning department of Rotherham Borough District Council (RMBC) supports UK COAL’s provision for the new schools as part of the proposed 20-year development of the former Orgreave coke works site.

UK COAL will also provide funding for the expansion of existing school facilities if the need arises. For example, if the schools reach capacity then UK COAL will make payments to upgrade both primary and secondary schools to take the additional pupils.

The Waverley project, due to be submitted for outline planning this summer, is scheduled to grow at a rate of 200 houses per year and the new schools will aid the steady influx of families with young children into the area.

UK COAL plans to transform the Waverley site into a sustainable high-density mixed-use community, including up to 4,000 houses, community facilities and green areas.

Martin Harrop, from RMBC’s planning office, said: We are able to predict pupil numbers fairly accurately using birth rates and if the proposal gets the go-ahead figures suggest Waverley would need two primary schools by the end of the build but no secondary school.

The amount of pupils at primary school level in the area is at its lowest for some time but as they now begin to grow again it will create a demand for two, two-form entry primary schools over the course of 20 years.

The Waverley community aims to accommodate around 8,000 people and using the planning formula of three pupils per year group per hundred houses, it is safe to suggest that, as the birth rates have fallen, surrounding schools will comfortably take on the extra children until the necessity for the first new schools become apparent.

John Dunshea, of Atisreal, the planning consultants working on behalf of UK COAL, said: A primary focus for Waverley will be schools and they are at the heart of any community.

They will be phased in over a 20-year period when the surpluses at nearby schools near capacity. At the moment we have the surpluses to deal comfortably with it and the report confirms that.

The findings are based on demographic patterns such as birth rates. But they are clearly subject to contingency and if, for whatever reason, demand for schools is greater than we anticipate we have the flexibility to bring plans forward.

UK COAL has also made provisions to fund improvements and extensions to existing primary schools as part of the agreement for the development of the Waverley Community.

This provision will also apply to secondary schools in the area as demand can be sated by existing schools with an ongoing commitment from UK COAL to fund the process.

We are confident two primary schools will be sufficient to cope with the gradual build of the development but the contingencies are in place to cover all eventualities. It is important to stress however that we are still in the planning stages and we welcome input from local communities and we hope to see them at the remaining consultations or hear from them through website feedback forms.