County Hall is set to spend almost £1M, on increasing the size of a selective school in Colchester. Esex County Council is set to agree to contribute £827,000 towards the total cost of £958,217 of building three additional classrooms at Colchester County High School for Girls (CCHSG), completed in January. The plans from the Alpha Trust operators to expand came after the school increased its yearly intake numbers from 160, to 192, in 2021 - raising the total capacity from 1,040, to 1,260 student places, from 2024-25. In addition to its own students, the school hosts and manages the Colchester Teacher Training Consortium (CTTC) - an Ofsted Outstanding Initial Teaching Training provider.
Essex County Council say the proposed three-classroom teaching block will allow the school to accommodate all of its students and will also allow CTTC to continue to operate from the site, which it says is desirable in order that Essex schools continue to benefit. A statement from the council said: "The proposal will support building additional accommodation for the school, which is needed to provide the necessary facilities to achieve the best possible outcomes for students. The additional classrooms will also allow the high-performing teacher training facility to remain on the site and to maintain its close links with Alpha Trust. If the facility could not use the on-site accommodation, there is no guarantee that other suitable accommodation could be found, risking a decline in standards, or potential closure."
A spokesperson for Essex County Council said: "Colchester County High School for Girls hosts the Colchester Teacher Training Consortium (CTTC), which is an Ofsted Outstanding teacher training provider. CTTC is partnered with over 60 schools and colleges in the area, and offers trainees a wide range of educational experiences. CTTC currently occupies three of the school's classrooms, which puts pressure on the building's capacity. This investment enables the school to continue hosting this invaluable teacher training programme, which benefits the local education system, while maintaining the school's necessary education spaces."
