Rethink on school (From Herald Series)

Rethink on school

10:00am Thursday 28th June 2007 in News By Emma-Kate Lidbury

THE decision to build a new 600-place secondary school in Grove could be overturned.

Although county councillors last week gave the plans the thumbs-up and negotiations were due to begin imminently, the decision has been called in by the children's services scrutiny committee at County Hall.

The committee, which is next due to meet on July 10, will examine the decision taken and has the power to ask the cabinet to reconsider its decision. The move was prompted by Liberal Democrat county councillors who say their concerns about building a school without a sixth form were "totally ignored".

At a meeting last week, they said building an 11-16 school could lead to it being a "sink school".

Councillors had been given two other options to choose from - two equal-sized schools in Wantage and Grove of 1,250 pupils or expanding King Alfred's Community and Sports College to 2,500 pupils on two sites.

A new school is needed because of planned housing growth. Supporters want to see it built by 2011.

Lib Dem councillor for Grove Zoe Patrick last week told the meeting that a school without a sixth form could become a "sink school", saying that some people feel it could be doomed to fail because parents would prefer to send their children to a school where there were post-16 opportunities.

After the decision was made, she said: "I had concerns that were not dealt with, so I am simply asking the relevant scrutiny committee to ensure that answers are provided.

"I am being asked questions by my constituents and I need to find out more. It seems like this cumbersome process is now the only way to squeeze information from County Hall."

Lib Dem councillor for Wantage Jim Moley said: "There was an opinion poll which clearly showed local people wanted two schools of equal size, not one 600-place school, and until we have the answers, we do not know why this option has been so completely disregarded."

Grove Parish Council said it was also concerned with the decision. Chairman Frank Parnell said: "This size school will not have enough places for the new population - 600 places for 700 expected pupils, which are the county's own figures - let alone the existing population. We feel it will also struggle in the shadow of King Alfred's."

But Tory district councillor James McGee said the decision made last week had been welcomed, saying: "We have a decision that gives a new school for Grove, which it has needed for 30 years. This is a very welcome decision, yet this route (calling the decision in) could start a prolonged legal battle into uncharted territory."

Hanneys and Hendreds councillor Iain Brown said: "The Lib Dems seem to be completely unaware that some of our best schools in the county do not have sixth forms."

King Alfred's governors are due to meet later today and a spokesman for the college said it would not be making a comment until after the meeting.

Many parents last week expressed their relief that a decision had been made as it had been delayed once already.

Eileen McKeever, who lives in Harwell and has an eight-year-old son who would be eligible to go to the new school when it is built, said: "This does all seem to have been going on for a long time and I just hope that whatever decision is made, it is made soon, and it is made with the children's best interests at heart."