Plans submitted for £13m school expansion

Plans for the £13.1m expansion of a secondary school to accommodate 300 additional pupils have been submitted.

Aylestone School in Hereford currently has capacity for 450 students.

The expansion would see up to 60 extra pupils in each year group, with the first intake into Year 7 in September 2026, and a new sports hall, six additional classrooms, a music room, and the upgrading of internal and external features.

Herefordshire Council said the work would help address a "growing demand for school places in the north of Hereford City".

When the council approved the expansion two years ago, it said the expansion of Whitecross High School on the other side of the city would be its preferred option.

However, that would have raised the annual charge it paid under an existing private finance initiative deal to an unaffordable level.

Funding will come from unspent grant money from the Department for Education to expand pupil provision.

Aylestone School has seen a steady drop in numbers over the past two decades; it had a capacity of 1,250 until 2003, when it dropped to 900.

Pupil numbers further reduced to 750 in 2010 and 450 in 2017.

Comments can be made on the plans until 18 May, with a decision expected to be made by early July.

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