More School Places To Be Created
7 September 2010, 10:30 | Updated: 7 September 2010, 13:09
A Council on the South Coast has proposed making up to 19 of its primary schools LARGER because of rising birth rates.
Last night (Monday 6 September), Southampton City Councils, approved a six week consultation on a range of options for increasing the number of Reception class places available from September 2011.
Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Councillor Paul Holmes said: “During the past few years we have seen an unprecedented increase in the number of children being born in Southampton. At the same time, more families are choosing to stay in the city when their children reach school age and less parents can afford private education. All of this is creating pressure on our education system, so it is important that we respond in the interests of Southampton’s families and schools.”
The proposals are to add 160 Reception class places to schools in September 2011, with a further 195 places being added in September 2012. The expanded year groups would work their way through the school until all year groups were resized.
The result would be that by September 2018, there would be approximately an additional 2,900 primary places at up to 19 infant, junior and primary schools across the whole city.
This consultation is the second phase of a city-wide review of primary school places, which began with proposals for the City Centre and Freemantle areas in 2009.
Hundreds of places are now being added in these areas, which were among the first to feel the affects of rising birth rates. The schools included in the second phase of the review are in areas also feeling the pressure and have been selected on a range of criteria on their capacity to expand.
Schools have already been involved in informal consultations with the city council, and this period of consultation allows everybody, including parents and the wider community, to share their views.
Drop-in events are being held at each of the primary schools or pairs of infant and junior schools included in the proposals.
Information and feedback forms are also available from these schools or on online at www.southampton.gov.uk/primaryreview.
The schools involved and the drop-in events times:
-Bassett Green Primary School, Wednesday 6 October, 3-5pm
-Glenfield Infant and Beechwood Junior School, to be held at Glenfield Infant School, Wednesday 29 September, 3-5pm
-Highfield C of E Primary School, Tuesday 28 September, 3-5pm
-Kanes Hill Primary School, Monday 4 October, 3-4.30pm
-Mansel Park Primary School, Wednesday 6 October, 3-5pm
-Moorlands Primary School, Thursday 23 September,3-5pm
-Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School, Tuesday 12 October, 3-5pm
-Banister Infant School, Thursday 14 October, 3-5pm
-Fairisle Infant & Nursery and Fairisle Junior School, to be held at Fairisle Infant & -Nursery School, Tuesday 12 October, 3-5pm
-Harefield Primary School, Thursday 7 October, 3-5pm
-Oakwood Infant and Oakwood Junior School, to be held at Oakwood Infant School, Monday 27 September, 2.30-4.30pm
-Sholing Infant and Sholing Junior School, to be held at Sholing Infant School, Tuesday 21 September, 3-5pm
-St Mark’s C of E Primary School, Monday 20 September, 3-5pm
-St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, Monday 11 October, 2.45-4.45pm
-Tanners Brook Infant and Tanners Brook Junior School, to be held at Tanners Brook Infant School, Thursday 30 September, 3-5pm
-Valentine Infant and Heathfield Junior School, to be held at Valentine Infant School, Tuesday 5 October, 3-5pm.
The consultation begins on Tuesday 14 September and closes on Tuesday 26 October. Once all of the responses have been collated a final set of proposals will be reported to Cllr Holmes, before a further consultation period and decision. This is expected to happen early in the new year.