Shifnal primary school to be rebuilt for £12.6 million

The replacement St Andrew’s Church of England School in Shifnal is expected to open in 2026, and will accommodate up to 420 pupils.

The majority of the funding for the project will come from the Department for Education (DfE), after the school was included in the second phase of its national school rebuilding programme, announced in 2021.

In order to meet growing demand for school places in the town, a number of extensions have been added to the site in recent years – with two more temporary classrooms set to go up this month.

But the council says the only long-term solution is to replace the 1960s building with a new, modern campus.

Councillor Kirstie Hurst-Knight, cabinet member for children and education, said: “There are plans to rebuild St Andrews C of E Primary school in Shifnal creating a two form entry primary school – from reception to year six.

“The school will accommodate up to 60 children per year, accumulating up to a total of 420 children when full.

“The new build will be funded by the DfE with a contribution from Shropshire Council. The total budget for the new build is approximately £12.6m.”

Councillor Hurst-Knight said the project was still in “the very early stages”, with building work expected to get underway next autumn, subject to planning permission.

The new school is expected to open around Easter 2026.

Councillor Hurst-Knight added: “St Andrew’s C of E Primary school is one of several important and exciting developments as we look to meet the demand for school places in Shropshire, and is one of several projects we are investing as part of our wider Shropshire school planning programme to secure high-quality and sustainable provision of primary and secondary places in the county.”

In the meantime, planning permission has been granted for two pre-fabricated classrooms in the school grounds to help alleviate current capacity pressures.

A statement from the council’s Property Services Group in support of the planning application said: “Due to increasing demand for school places in the town the existing buildings are no longer capable of providing sufficient accommodation.

“Combined with the age of the buildings, their general condition and other shortcomings the Department for Education has identified St Andrew’s for demolition and redevelopment.

“Until the new buildings are ready, the existing ones will continue to be used.

“However, there is already a shortage of suitable teaching space, and the school are having to use the dining hall as a makeshift classroom.

“This is a very unsatisfactory arrangement and is not one that is viable other than as a very short-term measure for a matter of months.”

Council planning officers granted permission for the two temporary classrooms be installed on a grassed area near the main entrance until the end of 2026. They are expected to go up during the half term holiday.

St Andrew’s will be the second school in Shropshire to be rebuilt under the national scheme, after Belvidere School in Shrewsbury was included in the first phase.