A secondary school in Oldham that risked losing valuable teaching spaces and faced having to slash pupil admission numbers has been 'rescued' thanks to a £3m investment.

Sought-after school places at the Blue Coat Secondary School on Egerton Street have been spared after bosses at the school raised the alarm it was at risk of losing teaching space in its ROSLA block unless urgent support was secured.

The loss of space meant the school was facing reducing its admission number as a result.

Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to The Oldham Times’ morning and evening newsletters as well as our breaking news alerts 

However, Oldham Council was notified of the risk in its meeting on Monday (March 18) night, and pledged a £3m of investment into its teaching facilities.

The council's funding and intervention means Blue Coat can now look forward to creating new teaching spaces elsewhere on the school's site.

The ROSLA block is now set to be demolished as it is no longer fit for purpose.

Funding for this investment comes from the Council's Basic Needs Allocation, a non-ring-fenced pot of money that is used to ensure there are enough school places for children in the borough.

As part of this, the council will grant the school a third of its £3m investment while the remaining funds will be repaid to the council by the Trust over a 10-year period.

The overall cost of the repairs equates to around £3.5m with the school agreeing to fund the extra £0.5m through its Trust finances.

The Oldham Times: Councillor Mohon Ali with headteacher Robert Higgins (left to right)Councillor Mohon Ali with headteacher Robert Higgins (left to right) (Image: Oldham Council)

Councillor Mohon Ali, Cabinet member for education and skills, said: "We owe it to our young people to make sure they can learn and grow in the best environment possible.

“That is why I am so glad that we could help Blue Coat School to prevent the loss of essential teaching space.

“By providing this funding we're ensuring they can keep accepting existing pupil numbers and not have to cut back on how many students they teach.

“That's brilliant news for a truly outstanding school." 

Julie Hollis, chief executive of The Cranmer Education Trust, added: “We are delighted, grateful and relieved.

“The building in question was part of Raising of the School Leaving Age to 16, which gives an indication of how old it is, and these buildings were only ever intended to be temporary.

“It has been maintained faithfully over the years, but we have reached the point of no return, and without this investment from the council to replace it we would have had to reduce the number of places at Blue Coat for the future.

“This investment ensures our ability to maintain existing pupil numbers and teach our young people in surroundings befitting an outstanding education."

If you have a story, I cover all things Oldham from food reviews and local business news to music and events, pubs, education, crime, property, health, community concerns and much more. Please email me at Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk or send me a message on Twitter @Livbridge with your news.