New school set to open next year on academy's existing site
Burlington Danes Primary School has been given the go ahead by Hammersmith and Fulham councillor, who say the school will help address the needs of our borough's growing population.
Burlington Danes Academy aims to build the new primary on its existing site off Du Cane Road In Shepherd's Bush to accommodate up to 450 pupils.
The secondary school, which is rated "outstanding" by Ofsted and which achieved a 100% A-level pass rate this summer, is working with Hammersmith & Fulham Council on the expansion.
It plans to build the two-storey primary over the next 12 months, in time to welcome its first pupils in September 2015.
H & F Council says the primary-age population of the borough is growing rapidly due to an increasing birth rate. Between 2001 and 2011 the number of children aged 0 – four rose from 10,195 to 11,900. In College Park and Old Oak ward, where Burlington Danes Academy is sited, the number of children aged between 0 – four increased by 51% in ten years, from 424 in 2001 to 645 in 2011.
Plans for up to 4,500 new homes on industrial land east of Wood Lane are expected to add further demand on school places, increasing the number of primary age children in the area by at least two forms of entry.
Like the secondary school, Burlington Dames Primary Academy, which was approved last year by the then Education Secretary Michael Gove, will be part of ARK schools which runs a network of academies across London and beyond, including three local primaries, ARK Conway, ARK Bentworth and ARK Swift (formerly Canberra Primary.)
H&F Council’s Planning and Development Control Committee agreed to grant permission for the new school, subject to certain conditions being met, at a meeting on September 10.
Cllr Sue Macmillan, H&F Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Education, says: " This brand new primary school is an important part of our strategy for our borough’s growing population. As we prioritise homes for residents rather than overseas investors, the demand on school places will rise, and this new school will help meet that.
“Burlington Danes Academy has an outstanding record, and this new school will help ensure the next generation of children continues to enjoy a high quality education from the outset."
September 14, 2014