Primary school on the cards (From This Is Local London)

Primary school on the cards in Streatham

9:24am Wednesday 26th September 2012 in News By Alice Foster, Reporter

A secondary school is set to massively expand the number of its children after announcing a £6m revamp, paving the way for a new primary school.

Subject to approval, Dunraven School will welcome its first two reception classes in September 2013 and will grow by a further two classes each year onwards.

The primary school would be located at the current lower school site in Mount Nod Road, with students in years 7 to 9 moving in with the upper school.

Principal David Boyle said: “It provides a really positive opportunity for families by having more spaces available but also the benefit of continuity. If you are in primary school your secondary school is also taken care of.”

“The main concern has been around the space issue, but I’m very clear there is plenty of space to make it work.”

Public meetings were scheduled for September 26 and October 3, from 5.30pm to 6pm, at Dunraven School.

Once the school starts, funding will be allocated per pupil and there is a £6m budget to refurbish the building.

The most recent Ofsted reported ranked the comprehensive secondary school as good with a significant number of outstanding features.

This year the school saw record GCSE results with 73 per cent gaining five A* to C grades, including Maths and English, and 98 per cent gaining five A* to C passes overall.

Councillor Rachel Heywood, cabinet member for children and families, said: “We very much hope this plan gets the backing of residents and the school community.

“There is a desperate shortage of primary places in Lambeth, especially in the south of the borough, and this would provide badly needed additional school places for under-11s.”

Councillor Ashley Lumsden, leader of the Liberal Democrat Group in Lambeth, welcomed the move, adding they had been calling for more primary school places for many years.

Coun Lumsden said: "It's absolutely needed because there is pressure on places in Streatham.”