Council confirms plans for new inclusive primary school building
Published: Monday, October 7, 2024
The Leader of Wandsworth Council was welcomed to a Battersea primary school as the council confirmed its commitment to building a new purpose-built school nearby.
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The new flagship primary school building in Nine Elms will help increase capacity for the borough’s SEND provision with a 16-place Social, Emotional and Mental Health specialist base.
As a modern two-form entry primary school, it will have capacity to accommodate 420 children aged between 5 and 11 in mainstream education, as well as a stand-alone nursery facility for 52 children.
'Working in partnership'
Council Leader Simon Hogg and Kate Stock, Cabinet Member for Children, visited St George’s CE primary school on Thessaly Road following their successful proposal for operating the new school.
Councillor Simon Hogg said: “We’re pleased to be working in partnership with nearby St George’s CE primary school, a well-established and popular local school, to enable their expansion into a new high-quality building. It’s a priority for us to ensure that the new school building will provide accessible and inclusive educational opportunities for local children so they can stay at school within their local community whatever their needs.”
The expanded school will support Wandsworth’s SEND place sufficiency and our ambition to keep children in local schools while also retaining funding within the borough.
The project is funded by contributions collected by the council from local property developers and the school is expected to be complete by autumn 2026.
'Serving the local community'
Sarah Collymore, Headteacher at St George’s CE Primary School said: “2026 is the school’s 200th anniversary so a new building feels like a really great way to celebrate 200 years of serving the local community – as well as giving us so many more opportunities to serve more families.”
A new flexible community space will also be part of the building, connecting communities and providing a new venue for local residents, children and groups to meet and take part in activities. The community hub will also house an indoor sports hall and outdoor multi-use games area.
The state-of-the-art school building will be one of the most sustainable in Wandsworth and one of the most energy efficient in the country.
