PROPOSALS for a new multi-million pound secondary school in Coseley are in the ‘early stages’ of development, Dudley Council has revealed.

Local authority officers and officials for Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust are discussing expanding existing plans for primary education in the area to include youngsters aged 11-18-years-old.

The council has not disclosed the cost of a new secondary school, or how many children it would teach, but the discussions are focused on expanding the £6 million Coseley Technology Primary, which is to open in 2019.   

It will join the trust’s three other academies in Smethwick, Wednesbury and Thorns Collegiate Academy in Quarry Bank.

The scheme will be located on the site of The Coseley School, which closed its doors to 900 children in 2017.

Councillor Susan Ridney, who represents Coseley East, said more education provision was needed to meet the growing number of pupils.

She said: “There is a proposal that there will be a school on that site because the borough needs another, certainly by 2021.

“There was a jump in pupil numbers a few years ago which is about to hit secondaries.”

Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust runs free schools which are funded and answerable to the Department of Education in Whitehall.

Approached for comment by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Dudley Council emphasised discussions had only recently begun.

Councillor Angus Lees, cabinet member for children’s services, said: “We are in the early stages of exploring plans to expand the proposed primary free school provision on the site of the former Coseley School to potentially accommodate secondary and post 16 provision to meet the rising demand for places in Dudley.

“We are working closely with colleagues from the Collegiate Academy Trust, who are already involved in the development of the primary school provision, along with those at Dudley Academies Trust to explore possible options.

“This could be an exciting opportunity to create the first school in the borough that could educate children from the moment they start school right the way through until they leave education but I would stress once again that we are in the very early stages of any development."

Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust have been approached for comment.