Shakespeare’s school could relocate senior pupils to district council offices in Stratford
AN expansion in student numbers could see KES re-locate its sixth form to Elizabeth House, the headquarters of Stratford District Council (SDC) but nothing has been confirmed yet.
From the council’s standpoint it would make sense to sublet the second floor of Elizabeth House to KES because of a reduction in council staff numbers and increases in remote working; as a result, SDC no longer occupies the whole building.
From a KES perspective, the school says it’s “heavily over-subscribed at both Year 7 and in the sixth form and this has increased significantly in recent years”. In short, it needs more space.
Parts of the ground floor at Elizabeth House are already sublet and KES has used the building previously for students.
At this early stage of discussion much depends on the school securing sufficient funding as headmaster, Bennet Carr, explained to the Herald.
“The school is heavily over-subscribed at both Year 7 and in the Sixth Form and this has increased significantly in recent years. We amended our admissions policy two years ago to prioritise more local students and are now actively exploring a number of options to increase our capacity, ensuring that as many students as possible can benefit from a KES education. All options will require a significant capital investment so we have engaged in discussion with Warwickshire County Council and will be bidding to central government later this year to seek funds in support of our proposed expansion,” Mr Carr said.
The council believes the proposal allows it to remain at Elizabeth House on a more financially sustainable basis and the income would be used to support valuable services and also gives it an opportunity to support a successful school within Stratford.
A district council spokesperson said.
”The report and the recommendation – the KES deal - allows SDC to stay at Elizabeth House for at least the next 25 years, so the council is not planning to vacate anytime soon.
The proposal allows SDC to remain in its traditional location at the heart of the community in a more financially sustainable way.
SDC first moved into Elizabeth House in 1985, with the offices being officially opened by the Queen Mother. The District Council currently has around 300 staff working in a hybrid nature from Elizabeth House.
The council has sought to maximise the use of Elizabeth House. Part of the building, Elizabeth Court, has been converted to small offices for growing businesses, this space is operated by Exceid. Part of the building is sublet to Newson Health and other parts of the building are let to various agencies including Shakespeare’s England and The Citizens Advice Bureau.”
The proposal is due to be discussed at the council’s cabinet meeting next Monday 3rd July and it’s thought a recommendation to back the proposal will be considered.
