CORNGREAVES Primary School in Cradley Heath, which dates back to the Victorian era, is set to get a new classroom and facilities.

The school has lodged a planning application to Sandwell Council to replace temporary classroom which are falling apart with a new extension to the school.

A spokesman for the school said: “The detached Portakabin style temporary classrooms are in very poor repair and are accessed externally by a short flight of steps.

“This discriminates against disabled people and in adverse weather caused safety and comfortable access issues.”

“It is intended to re-locate one of these classrooms into a new traditionally built classroom extension added to the present school structure and providing internal access.”

The new extension will help the school, which has been providing education in Cradley Heath for over a century, improve teaching standards in a variety of lessons.

The spokesman added: “In addition to the classroom other ancillary accommodation is provided including an easy access toilet, a dedicated reprographics room, a secure cloakroom for staff and a small kitchen for both staff use and teaching pupils domestic science in small groups.

“Externally a small secure store room is proposed to accommodate play equipment as the school is currently lacking all these facilities.”

Due to the historic nature of the school the design of the new building work will compliment the existing architecture.

The spokesman added: “The structure proposed will be traditional and has been designed to be in keeping with the existing modern elements of the building.

“The red brickwork used in the existing buildings will be matched together with the use of similar windows present in the modern parts of the current design.“ The application for the extension to the school will go before Sandwell Council Planning Committee within the next month.