New schools will ease places crisis
PLANS to build four new schools and expand 15 others to ease Bristol's primary school places crisis have been unveiled.
Bristol City Council faces spending £250 million over the coming years to ensure there are enough places available to cater for the city's rapidly growing population of young children.
The authority plans to build a new school on the site of the former City of Bristol College centre in Marksbury Road by September 2014 and the former Hayleigh House old people's home in Southville by September 2015.
There are plans to construct a new school in the Harbourside area by 2014 to serve the growing number of families in the city centre but an exact location has not been revealed.
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In St George, a new school could spring up in an old council building in partnership with the Diocese of Bristol in time for the 2014/15 academic year.
The school building programme forms part of the council's School Organisation Strategy 2012-2016, which will be discussed by the authority's cabinet later this month.
The strategy proposes expansions at the following schools: Avon Primary in Shirehampton, Begbrook Primary in Stapleton, Bishop Road Primary in Bishopston, Glenfrome Primary in Eastville, St Bonaventure's School in Bishopston, West Town Lane School in Brislington, former Cutler's Brook Primary in St Werburgh's, Ashton Gate Primary, Barton Hill Primary, Bridge Farm Primary in Whitchurch, Chester Park Infant and Junior in Fishponds, Colston's Primary in Cotham, Compass Point School in Bedminster, Dolphin School in Cheltenham Road and St Ursula's E-ACT Primary Academy in Westbury-on-Trym.
Six of the building projects have funding in place, while the remainder are awaiting confirmed funding.
A major rise in reception pupil numbers is not expected at the start of the 2013/14 academic year but a bulge in admissions is expected from September 2014. If nothing was done to create more spaces, 530 reception pupils would be left without a school to attend in September 2014.
More secondary school places are expected to be needed in the north of the city from 2017 and elsewhere in Bristol from 2019.
The council also plans to provide more places for the rising number of children with special educational needs and early education places for two-year-olds.
Clare Campion-Smith, the city councillor with responsibility for education, said: "All of the simple school expansion options have been exhausted and we are now in the position of looking at brand new sites in preparation for children coming through in 2014/15. We are making use of a mix of existing council property and new commercial opportunities as they become available.
"It remains that it's towards the east of the city and towards the centre where we need to find places but unfortunately it's difficult to find sites."
Last year the council created 300 extra spaces and 95 per cent of children were given a place at one of their preferred schools. Some 83 per cent were awarded a place at their first choice school, a proportion which the council says compares well with that of other local authorities.
Comments
by gary_hopkins
Wednesday, September 19 2012, 7:30PM
“Well it was less than 5 years ago when we had a Labour government and a Labour council that they brought forward plans to close many schools to remove "surplus "places.
Most of that was stopped and as can be seen from the article there is a huge expansion going on to take account of the fact that child numbers in Bristol are rising quicker than almost anywhere in the country.
We have been able to get a huge amount of government cash and the present administration has,by careful budgeting been able to put in anm extra £20M of council spend to make the expansion work.
Cash is no blockage but in some parts sites are difficult.
There are 2 other problems.The council cannot force schools to expand even if there is a desperate lack of local spaces.
Michael Gove controls the permits to open new schools and is anti council.
Secondary places are not a problem at the moment but will become a bit of a squeeze in a few years time.
The numbers ,unlike when Labour were in charge,are now plotted a few years ahead and at the moment the % of parents getting either 1st or 1st 3 choices are higher here than most places but that has not stopped Labour trying to scare parents. How sad.!!
Good news is that as well as enough places our schools are now performing better. Remember when Labour ran the worst performing schools in the country.”
by CathyHodges
Wednesday, September 19 2012, 4:30PM
“2017 for secondary schools seems a bit late to me. They should be planning this for sooner! The old fairfield school site would be a good place for a small central secondary school.”
by J12345678
Wednesday, September 19 2012, 3:10PM
“Better start planning for secondary places as well eh Bristol. These children reach 11 before you would expect based on your previous lack of action ...”