North Birmingham Academy extension approved

Big extension at Birmingham school approved amid demand for places

Tom Cramp - Local Democracy Reporter | Tuesday 21st March 2023 8:08am

A popular Birmingham school has won permission to build an extension that will increase pupil numbers by 300. The expansion at North Birmingham Academy On College Road, Perry Common, comes from a need for additional pupil places as identified by Birmingham City Council.

The £11 million extension will allow North Birmingham Academy to go from a six-form school to an eight-form school. Last rated 'Good' by Ofsted in 2018, the Academy has said its popularity is growing fast and now has around 60 new pupils joining Year 7 each year.

The three-storey extension will be located on the western side of the school and will be linked to the main building by two separate corridors. It will be made up predominantly of new teaching space.

There are currently 1,150 pupils at the Academy aged between 11 and 19 years old. The sixth form caters for around 240 pupils but would hope to expand that number now the development has been approved.

The secondary school is set to receive £11.5 million of public money for the extension to meet an urgent demand for places. There were no objections during the consultation process from either the public or local ward councillors.

At a Birmingham City Council planning committee meeting on Thursday, March 16, councillors voted unanimously to approve the scheme. In its decision, the council said the academy will offer some of its facilities such as dance studios, a sports hall, a MUGA, and grass pitched up for community use as part of the agreement.

The need for more places at North Birmingham Academy comes shortly after it was revealed Birmingham primary schools are set to have a surplus of places ahead of the 2024/25 academic year. Under new plans, a total of 315 places at 13 receptions across Birmingham will be axed as the council rethinks admissions rules at community and voluntary controlled schools in the city.

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