‘Much needed’ Waverley School extension plans approved as children miss out on places

Waverley Junior Academy opened in September 2020 after the new housing development was built at the former Orgreave Colliery and Coking Works between Handsworth and Catcliffe.

Parents were left angry as demand for places left 27 youngsters without a school place in 2022.

Under the scheme, which was approved during a meeting of Rotherham Council’s planning board, a two-storey extension fronting Highfield Lane will include three new classrooms on each floor.

A separate extension on the east of the building will include a new nursery room, staff office, and a larger entrance, and the current nursery room will be used as a reception classroom.

Once the extension is complete, the school will be able to accommodate 675 pupils – 175 more than the 500 that currently attend, with a further 14 staff members.

Robert Morrell, RMBC’s planning officer, said that without the extension, Waverley residents can’t get their children into the school, and are having to travel to schools outside of the area.

Rachel Graham, of Waverley Community Council, told the meeting that 27 applicants didn’t get a place in the school, with a further 46 to miss out this September.

Ms Graham added that the council supports the extension, but asked for improvements to roads around the school.

Some residents objected over parking, noise and pollution.

One resident wrote to RMBC to say that the extension would ‘obstruct the picturesque views’ from their home, and another said it would ‘devalue their property’.

Letters of support were also sent to the council, stating that the extra places are ‘much needed’.

Planning officers, who said the plans should be approved by councillors, added that the school has an active travel plan in place to ‘reduce the reliance on cars for both staff and pupils’.

They also said the roads around the school are unadopted and therefore not within the council’s responsibility, so it has no power to enforce double yellow lines or parking restrictions.

The plans were approved unanimously by the planning board.