Proposal to expand The Cottesloe School

Feedback updated 14 Dec 2023

We asked

We asked for your views on a proposal to expand The Cottesloe School.

The consultation ran from 4 September to 8 October 2023.

You said

We received 42 responses to the consultation:

38 online survey responses
4 email and postal responses

Of the 42 who responded, 29 (69%) were in agreement with the proposal to expand the school; 10 (24%) did not agree; and, 3 (7%) didn’t know or didn’t say.

We did

Together with the Governing Board of Cottesloe School, we have considered the responses to the consultation.

Due to the increase in pupil numbers being below 200 or 25% (whichever is the lesser) of the current school size, there is no requirement to proceed with the full statutory process.

In view of the level of support in favour of the proposal, a planning application for expansion has been submitted. The final decision will be subject to the outcome of the planning application process (Planning application reference: 23/03600/APP).

Overview

We want to hear your views on a proposal to expand The Cottesloe School.

The Cottesloe School is a secondary school in Wing, Buckinghamshire. The school has a sixth form and currently has capacity for 1,121 pupils (September 2023).

Over the last few years, the population of north Buckinghamshire has increased. This has increased the demand for secondary school places.

In partnership with The Cottesloe School, we are proposing to expand the school to permanently increase the number of places.

Works to expand the school would include:

an extension to the current sixth form block, which would:
- include 4 new classrooms, a toilet block and a new dining facility for sixth form pupils
- create more space within the main school for pupils aged 11 to 15
internal alterations within the existing science block to create an additional science laboratory and refurbishment of the toilet facilities

The permanent expansion of the school would be available from October 2025. The larger school would provide benefits – including greater flexibility and efficiency for staff and resources.

The proposal would allow the school to admit a further 20 Year 7 pupils each year. This would mean an overall increase of 100 pupils across Year 7 to 11 by September 2027.

Across all the year groups, the school would be able to admit 210 pupils annually. As the increased number of Year 7 pupils move through the school, there would be an increase in sixth form pupils.

The proposal to expand the school is fully supported by The Cottesloe School Governing Board.

We would work closely with the school and contractor to make sure all expansion works are in line with health and safety legislation and do not impact pupils’ learning.

Previous school expansions Previous school expansions

We have expanded several schools in the area to accommodate additional pupils.

In September 2022, The Cottesloe School accommodated 20 additional pupils in Year 7. This was possible within the school’s existing space.

The school will admit up to 20 more pupils in Year 7 from September 2023 – by making minor changes to the existing school buildings.

Events to find out more

We are hosting a drop in event to find out more about the proposal:

Wednesday 13 September 2023, 5pm to 7pm
- at The Cottesloe School, Aylesbury Road, Wing, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 0NY
- school governors, the headteacher, officers from Buckinghamshire Council and the architects will be at the event

How to have your say

You can tell us your views in one of the following ways:

complete the online survey using the link at the end of the page
complete, and return, a printed version of the survey (PDF 0.21MB)
email us at thecottesloeschoolconsultation@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

If you have any questions about this consultation, please email us at thecottesloeschoolconsultation@buckinghamshire.gov.uk.

Please tell us your views by midnight on Sunday 8 October 2023.

What happens next

With the Governing Board of The Cottesloe School, we will consider all the responses we receive and decide whether to expand the school.

If the decision is taken to proceed, the next stage is the publication of a statutory notice.

Statutory notice Statutory notice

The statutory notice is a more formal opportunity to give your views by submitting formal objections or support to the proposal.

This stage runs for 4 weeks. If the decision is taken to proceed, we would expect the statutory notice to run from mid-November to mid-December 2023.

The responses received would be considered by the Governing Board and Buckinghamshire Council.

Final decision on the proposal Final decision on the proposal

The Leader of Buckinghamshire Council, with the Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services, would make the decision on the final outcome. We would expect this decision in February 2024.

We would also expect the outcome of the planning application to expand the school in February 2024.

If the decision is taken to proceed, and planning permission is granted, the expansion work would begin in April 2024 – completed by October 2025.

Privacy

We will use the information you provide here only for this activity. We will store the information securely in line with data protection laws and will not share or publish any personal details. For more information about data and privacy, please see our Privacy Policy.

If you have questions about data and privacy, please email us on dataprotection@buckinghamshire.gov.uk. Or write to our Data Protection Officer at Buckinghamshire Council, The Gateway, Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, HP19 8FF.

Areas

Wing and Ivinghoe

Interests