A HIGH school has been given the go-ahead for a new multi-sports area as part of its expansion plans.

Chase High School has been granted permission to build tennis, basketball and netball courts to replace the existing long jump tracks which will be moved elsewhere on the Prittlewell Chase school site.

There will be four netball courts, two tennis courts and one basketball court surrounded by a wire fence.

The courts will open between 6.30am and 9pm.

In its application, the school said it would be “multi use games area that the school will be proud of”.

It adds: “Given the size of the school and its learning objectives, we want to improve its offer to students and dramatically regenerate the learning experience it offers its students.

“The proposed multi use games area with netball courts will be a versatile sports facility for everyday use. This will give students at Chase High School the flexibility that will enrich their learning experience. The wider community can enjoy increased interaction with the school as the school intends to hire out the facility after school hours.”

Andrew James, headteacher at Chase, said: “In Autumn 2016, Southend Council called together all the secondary school headteachers to discuss the growing numbers of children in our area.

“Their modelling included numerous factors including their plan to build more housing in Southend over the coming years. The result of that meeting was a commitment among us all to accommodate the extra children that we can expect and to help with that, the council has been augmenting several schools.”

“At Chase, we are committed to increasing our intake from 196 in each year group to 226 in Year Seven next year, that number going through the school over the following four years. That will lead to us having an extra 150 children in the school after five years, which has led to the new block being built to provide a new humanities block, freeing up space in the main block for growth in each of the other areas.

“As part of the building work, we will also construct a new netball area at the back of the school as well as discus, javelin and long jump facilities. Sport is an important part of life at Chase with many pupils going to great successes both individually and as part of a team.”