A school has announced plans to build a large new four-court sports hall to overhaul facilities built 50 years ago.

Planned for Folkestone School for Girls, it would see the construction of a 1,049 sq m extension to the existing building, with the aim to provide a “significant upgrade to pupils’ sporting and physical education”.

An application submitted to Folkestone and Hythe District Council states the new build would help “resolve the current and significant deficiency in indoor PE space” at the Coolinge Lane site.

The school’s vision is to “deliver an affordable scheme which minimises disruption to the education of the pupils” while also aiming to provide “a safe environment for staff and students in the existing school”.

Planning documents state: “The new facilities are key to providing much needed spaces for pupils to support indoor PE activities at the school.”

Folkestone School for Girls currently has a small sports hall which was built in 1975.

According to a government notification about building regulations for schools, this falls short of meeting the required standards for a secondary school sports hall.

The school claims the existing building severely limits the extent of PE curriculum which can be delivered to pupils.

As well as this, they describe the space for boys in the sixth form as “woefully inadequate”.

The application reads: “The project aims to address these deficiencies by the construction of a new four-court community sports hall and supporting spaces which will be used to deliver a more comprehensive PE curriculum to all year groups.”

In 2015, planning permission was granted for a similar four-court sports hall to be built at the school, but due to costs the building could not go ahead.

This new application is for a smaller and more affordable building in the same position on the site.

The bid includes the construction of storage space, ancillary spaces and provision for future visitor toilets and a viewing area.

Folkestone School for Girls has a total of 1,230 pupils.

It takes girls only in Years 7 to 11 and a limited number of boys from Year 12.

It currently holds an ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating.