6:50am Monday 22nd March 2010
By Chris Wickham
Richmond’s head of education has pledged to increase places in secondary schools to deal with the number of pupils going through the borough’s primary schools.
Richmond Council has been attempting to increase the number of primary school places in response to the rising birth rate and more families wanting places.
Richmond Conservatives have called on the authority to start planning for secondary school transfer to avoid “chaos” but Councillor Malcolm Eady, Richmond Council cabinet member for education and children’s services, said work was already under way.
Councillor David Marlow, Richmond Conservatives deputy leader, said: “The latest figures show the infant school age children crammed into primary school this year and next could find it difficult to find a place when they come to transfer to secondary school.
“In 2001, the year 1 intake was 1,720. In 2012 it is estimated at 2,248, an increase of 528, over 17 forms of entry – the equivalent of more than two new secondary schools. Planning for the extra places needs to take place now to avoid the chaos we are currently seeing.”
Coun Eady said there would be an increase in places in the medium-term, at the rebuilt Teddington School at the two academies run by Swedish education firm Kunskapsskolan – in place of Whitton School and Hampton Community College – and at the Shene Academy, which should be approved by Richmond Council’s cabinet on Monday.
He added: “With the existing spare capacity and the priority given to local children by our link school system, all our primary school pupils will be offered places for the next few years, but the problem starts in 2014 and increases significantly post 2018.
“We announced last November that officers have once again been looking at the potential of a Catholic secondary school, but this requires some very detailed discussions with the diocesan boards of education, which I hope can have a positive outcome.
"As with our primary school programme, the two main problems are lack of money and the lack of suitable locations for new schools. We have been investigating a number of options, but these have all been held on a confidential basis.
“We are also looking at expanding some of our other existing schools, but, with money for capital programmes being very tight, this highlights just how irresponsible the Conservative policy of using these scarce resources for unnecessary sixth forms would be.”
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/trade_directory/