Councillors back plans to build new Telford academies

Six schools in Telford face being bulldozed to make way for four new academies catering for thousands of pupils as part of a £200 million scheme.

Council chiefs have agreed to knock down the schools, five secondaries and one primary.

Telford & Wrekin Council's cabinet last night agreed to build a 900-place Christian faith academy for children aged 11 to 18 in Priorslee. It will incorporate the existing Blessed Robert Johnson Catholic College, Shropshire's only Catholic comprehensive.

Cabinet also approved a 1,200 academy for children aged 11 to 16 on the Oakengates Leisure Centre site, which will be formed through a merger of Wrockwardine Wood and Sutherland schools.

A third academy is to be built in Stirchley with the Lord Silkin School, Grange Park Primary School and a sixth form being housed on the site, creating 1,150 places.

All proposals are subject to planning permission and other negotiations.

At the meeting at Civic Offices in Telford, Councillor Richard Overton said: "I welcome the fact that these plans give us sustainable education across Telford and Wrekin."

A school with 1,200 places will also be built on the vacated BRJ site and pupils from the Charlton School in Wellington will move to the new building.

The move, announced last November, prompted 1,621 written objections.