Trafford cues up school expansion deal
The local authority will progress its acquisition of the former Loreto prep school off Dunham Road in Altrincham, to enable the growth of North Cestrian School.
Developing the site, which sits alongside but separate from the Loreto Grammar School, could create up to 300 more secondary school places, representing two more classes in each year group at the academy.
The independent Loreto Prep closed in July 2023, with its trustees, the Loreto Sisters, stating it was no longer financially viable. The local authority is now set to buy the three-acre A56 site, with the deal primed to go ahead, subject to due diligence.
Trafford Council’s executive committee has now agreed to the expansion plan, set to be funded by a capital grant from the Department for Education, made in spring 2024.
A timeline for delivery of the project, which is still subject to planning permissions, will be set out in due course, said Trafford, which is keen to create more school places to meet rising demand in the area. Recent intakes have seen schools such as North Cestrian see demand massively outstrip supply.
Cllr Karina Carter, Trafford Council’s executive member for babies, children and young people, said: “I am pleased that we are progressing with our intention to ultimately provide more school places for families in Altrincham. An early step in this process is to acquire the necessary land for expansion and negotiations are moving forward.”
Whilst I’m in favour of the provision of more secondary school places,I think that Loreto Grammar School should have been allocated part of the North Cestrian estate since there is need for expansion there too.
Loreto Grammar is on a site roughly similar in size to North Cestrian at present but has no playing fields whereas North Cestrian has sizeable playing fields on Oldfield Road.
This seems to be an unfair division which puts the pupils at Loreto at a great disadvantage.
By Anonymous