Have your say on changes to Sandy Secondary School
Thursday, 19 November 2020
A six-week public consultation has been launched with proposals to transform Sandy Secondary School for the autumn term in 2022.
The proposals are aimed at delivering the best curriculum for students, meeting increased demand for school places and to ensure the school is fit for purpose for the future.
Whilst recognised by the Department for Education as a school of more than eight forms of entry, it does not have the capacity to accommodate the existing students, which have increased in five years from 535 to just over 1,000.
The proposals are for a reconfiguration of the school, which would see the remodelling and refurbishment of the existing buildings, including the frontage of the school; plus the building of a new teaching block, a new special education needs area and new external recreational areas. This would allow the school to accommodate up to 1,200 students.
The proposals form part of the Schools for the Future programme, which is an ambitious programme of work taking place to raise education standards through the provision of school places required across Central Bedfordshire, in line with housing growth.
Councillor Sue Clark, our Executive Member for Families, Education and Children, said:
I’m delighted that we are able to share with families these exciting proposals for the transformation of Sandy Secondary School, where there has already been a significant increase in student numbers.
Changes have therefore been needed recently to the school site to accommodate the increasing number of students. This transformation will also help improve the education of young people in the area by offering more facilities for the students, whilst increasing specialist learning spaces to meet the changing demands of the curriculum.
I would invite anyone who has an interest in the future of education in Sandy to have their say on what is proposed, between now and 30 December, when the consultation closes. This can be done via an online questionnaire on schoolsforthefuture.co.uk/sandy where there's also some frequently asked questions (FAQs) which can help to address the immediate questions that families and residents may have. We have also arranged an online meeting should people have any questions about the consultation that they would like to ask our school organisation officers.
This meeting will take place between 4pm and 6pm on Thursday, 3 December. Numbers are limited so, to register your interest in attending, email school.organisation@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk by December 1; joining instructions will be sent to you.
If you need a paper copy of the consultation questionnaire, call 0300 300 8301.