THIRTY new places will be created at an Ascot secondary school as part of a £20 million expansion project across the borough. 


Charters School in Sunningdale, the area's only state comprehensive, will create the additional places for its September 2017 intake as part of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead's (RBWM) plans, that were approved at last Thursday's cabinet meeting. 


The other schools also included in the project are Windsor Boys' School and Windsor Girls' School, Dedworth Middle School, Cox Green School and Furze Platt Senior School in Maidenhead. 


The council had predicted a shortfall of 184 secondary school places by 2021. 


Speaking at a press briefing on Monday co head-teacher of Charters School, Martyn Parker, said: "This is a significant investment and shows the council's faith to continue the progress already made to raise academic standards in the borough. 


"As an academy, any academic discussions rest with the governing body who have expressed willingness.
"We believe this is a good decision by the local authority and we can now look to planning how to progress this further."


He added: "These plans will see Charters go from 1,700 pupils to over 2,000 with an additional 200 places created. 


"The governing body, myself and co head teacher Richard Pilgrim would have to take a hold of what size school we want, if we were to expand again in the future. 


"We don't want to increase in size and reduce in quality and the issue for us is to maintain our high standards. 


"There are a lot of changes and turbulence in education so we need to make sure our pupils get the best possible education they can and become well-rounded individuals."


Addressing the shortage of teachers, he said: ""Probably the greatest challenge facing schools in this area is recruiting good staff.


"We have invested a lot in the initial teacher training but have been in discussions with the local authorities of how we can reach people and make it attractive for them."


Councillor Phill Bicknell, the council's cabinet member for education, said: "The fact is if somewhere like Charters is getting super results and is achieving good and outstanding in Ofsted inspections, you have to expect a lot of people will want to come to that school.


"It's like a bathtub filling up with water, once it gets up to that overflow, it will keep coming up and spill out, we are trying to build an additional 10 per cent in school places but we are never going to meet that overflow."