Numbers boosted at Trent Vale's St Joseph's College

AN ADDITIONAL 30 pupil places will be created at a school to meet demand from families.

St Joseph's College will create a new Year 7 form class from September next year.

Building work currently taking place at the Trent Vale school to improve its sports facilities means it can also expand its classroom space.

The result is that next year's Year 7 intake will increase from 120 to 150 pupils.

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Headteacher Roisin Maguire said: "There has been a high level of demand at the school for a long time, and up until now we have been offering 120 spaces.

"Each year we have hundreds of people who cannot get a place but the work we are having done will relieve some rooms in the main school building meaning we will have the capacity to extend our intake."

Work is being carried out to create new netball courts next to the playground and a sports hall is being built alongside the school's playing fields.

The current sports facilities, including the girls and boys changing rooms, are located in the main school building.

But once the new sports hall opens in January, the changing rooms can be transformed into classrooms.

The work, which has been part-funded by the school and by the £250 million Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project, will also see the former Methodist church and Wesleyan chapel, in London Road, re-developed into a study area for sixth form students.

Ms Maguire added: "With the new 150 people intake we have now reached the maximum number of pupils.

"We have more than 400 applications every year, so we will never fully be able to meet demand, but at least this means we will be able to take in another 30 pupils.

"And by increasing our admissions by 30, we are not compromising our standards and quality of education.

"People want their children to come to St Joseph's College because not only do they read the league tables and see our results, but when they come to visit they see the school offers so much more.

"It is about the needs of the individual person and people want their children to experience that."

Fourteen-year-old Max Jarrett, of Nantwich, is in Year 10 which has already adopted the 150-pupil policy.

He said: "It's really good because we get more lessons because the year is spread out over five forms.

"We have about 30 people in each class and it's a good size because the teachers are still there if you need them for anything.

"It's good because it feels like we get more of a variety of classes."

Year 8 pupil Rachel Flather, aged 12, of Stone, added: "I chose the school because of the good results. My brothers both came here too so I knew what to expect."

Niamh Mullaney, aged 12, from Stoke, added: "I can't wait for the new sports building to open."

The school is holding a Year 7 open evening tonight from 7pm. For more details call 01782 848008.

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