Shipston school to expand and get new sports hall but costs increase by £2 million
MORE than £2 million additional funding has been agreed to help cover the increasing cost of expanding Shipston High School.
Warwickshire County Council (WCC) agreed the extra spend last week following a report which explained the budgeted costs had increased from £10.5m to £12.7m.
The project will see the school expanded to accommodate an extra 150 pupils, providing an additional form for Year 7. The work will include refurbishing and remodelling the existing buildings as well as a new sports hall.
The original budget was approved in July 2022, but, as noted by a WCC report, was susceptible to an increase in costs as the project progressed through design and development stages.
The report adds that increase can be attributed the need for additional drainage work, a rise in haulage costs, the impact of inflation on construction, and additional asbestos being found in the school building.
The overall project costs are also impacted by the inclusion of the new sports hall, but the facility is much-needed, according to the report.
“The school is currently lacking the appropriate indoor sports and examination facilities and therefore the provision of the sports hall is essential for them to be able to operate at the increased [pupil numbers],” the report states. “It is not typical to provide a new sports hall as part of a secondary school expansion and therefore costs will be higher than benchmark comparisons.”
The cost of the project was revised in July last year and £650,000 of savings were made by cutting various elements, including extensions to the dining hall and activity studio.
The £2.188m extra funding will be taken from developer contributions.
The county council also agreed £16.5m funding for a new 420-space primary school in Nuneaton and £418,000 for early years schemes across Warwickshire including Happy Days Nursery in Southam and Shipston Pre-School. The money will help support with new childcare entitlements being rolled out this year by government.
Cllr Kam Kaur (Con, Bilton & Hillside), the council’s portfolio holder for education, said: “We are committed to providing high-quality education for all children in Warwickshire. This significant investment in our education capital programme will help to ensure that we have the capacity to meet the growing demand for school places and early years provision.”
The funding will require the approval of full council at its meeting on 24th September.
