Policy information sourced from Thurrock Core Strategy and Policies for Management of Development

CSTP12 – EDUCATION AND LEARNING

General Approach

In order to enhance educational achievement and skills in the Borough, the Council will work with the Department of Children Schools and Families (DCSF), the TTGDC, schools, learners, employers and other partners to ensure:

  • The Council’s objective and priority to maximise the benefit of investment in buildings, grounds and ICT, to achieve educational transformation.
  • The provision of pre-school, primary school, high school, further education and special education facilities meets current and future needs: where appropriate different levels of education may be located together.
  • The integration of schools into multi-functional hubs with linkages to key facilities such as sports and leisure facilities, health and social care.
  • Facilities in schools are fully integrated into community use where possible.
  • Opportunities for learning and training facilities associated with new and existing businesses are realised (in particular, the Council will promote Enterprise and Learning Hubs, such as The Royal Opera House Production Campus and Skills Academy).
  • The co-ordination of new educational provision with new development.
  • The provision of high quality communications and transport infrastructure.
  • ICT which maximises the benefits from its use for teaching and learning, and administration and communication, being available anytime anywhere for life-long learning, to engage parents and support integrated working to safeguard children.
  • Environmental, economic and social (educational and community) sustainability.
  • That educational opportunities are accessible to all.

Post 16 Education

The Council is working with partners to transform post-16 routes to achievement, increase choice and diversity for learners and parents, and improve educational services and facilities. The Council will pursue engagement between post-16 educational institutions and 14-19 partners. Where appropriate this will include the creation of Trusts and Academies. The Council will progress development schemes including:

  • Thurrock Learning Campus, Grays - the plans for providing 21st Century facilities for further and higher education in Grays Town Centre are being progressed. A consortium including Thurrock Borough Council and four Higher Education Institutions will establish co-located higher education at the Thurrock Learning Campus;
  • Palmer’s Sixth Form College, Grays;
  • Additional Sixth Form Provision - a sixth form presumption at Gable Hall School resulting from the awarding of High Performing Specialist School status, sixth forms are also being put in place at the Gateway Academy, Ormiston Park and Chafford Hundred;
  • The Royal Opera House together with the National Skills Academy for Creative Arts, Purfleet;
  • The Logistics Academy at London Gateway, Stanford-le-hope / Corringham.

Secondary Education

To meet the educational, training and community needs of young people and their families for the period of this plan, the Council is committed to replace and improve mainstream secondary school provision and will work with partners to identify and/or confirm sites of an appropriate size and location for schools as set out in the School Strategy 2020 Vision including:

  • New build, refurbishment and expansion of existing mainstream secondary schools under the BSF programme and other capital investments.
  • Rebuild Belhus Chase School on its existing site as Ormiston Park Academy and safeguard adjoining land for long-term expansion.
  • The priority is to provide additional school places at existing schools in the major regeneration areas and where appropriate to relocate schools to linked facilities identified in the Plan.

Primary Education

The Council has outlined a programme of refurbishment, expansion and new schools required to support long-term aims and growth in Regeneration Areas and other Broad Locations in the Plan; it includes:

  • New additional primary schools in Purfleet and South Stifford;
  • Long term - a further new primary school in Grays;
  • Relocate and expand Chafford Hundred Primary School on adjoining land safeguarded for this use;
  • Lakeside (to be addressed in other Local Development Documents);
  • Through its Primary Capital Programme (PCP) new build, refurbishment and expansion of up to forty three existing mainstream primary schools. This development will be phased by areas, prioritised according to high levels of deprivation and low levels of educational attainment.

Special Education

The Council and partners will support children with special educational needs through further development of specialist bases and resource bases at mainstream schools, as follows:

  • Refurbishment and expansion of existing resource bases at mainstream primary and secondary schools as part of the PCP and BSF;
  • Completion of the special education campus at Buxton Road, Grays by relocating Beacon Hill School there from South Ockendon.

Developer Contributions

Proposals for new development will be required to contribute towards education in accordance with Policy CSSP3, Policy PMD16 and the Developer Contributions SPD.

Key Diagrams and Maps

Key diagram

Sites will be included in the Adopted Site Specific Allocations and Policies DPD and identified on the Proposals Map.

For more information please see the Core Strategy and Policies for Management of Development