FARNHAM Heath End School is seeking public opinion on its proposal to expand from a seven-form entry secondary school, with a Published Admission Number (PAN) of 190, to an eight-form entry secondary school with a PAN of 220 from September 2018.

The school, which is a converter academy, currently provides 190 places per year from year seven through to year 11, aged 11 to 16.

Surrey County Council, in partnership with the Governing Body of Farnham Heath End School seeks the views of parents, staff, residents and other local stakeholders on their proposal to expand.

If the expansion gets the go ahead, the school will ultimately provide 1,100 places for ages 11 to 16, 180 more than the school currently takes in.

The proposal will require the provision of some additional accommodation to enable the school to facilitate the expansion.

This project has surfaced due to the significant demand for new school places within Surrey resulting from the increased birth rate and inward migration into the county.

Demand for secondary places has also increased in Farnham, with additional school places required from 2018 – this expansion will help meet the increased demand.

This proposal does not change the admissions criteria of the school, only the Published Admissions Number, and therefore the number of places provided at the school.

As an academy school, the project will be overseen by the Governing Body of the school and will be project managed by appointed consultants working closely with Surrey County Council.

Work is under way on a feasibility study to identify the accommodation required to facilitate the expansion. This is likely to be provided through a mixture of new build and remodelling of existing spaces.

As part of the expansion, the Governing Body is intending to create additional parking spaces within the site to meet the needs of additional staff and mitigate the impact on local residential roads.

This process is part of a statutory consultation which closes on Monday, November 17, after which a decision will be taken.

A planning application to Surrey County Council’s Planning Committee will be submitted next year. This will be available on the county council’s website and further responses sought.