Bristol pupils' school life is to begin at cricket club due to places crisis

By callen

Thirty Bristol four-year-olds look set to start school in September – in rooms at Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.

The proposal comes from the city council as it tries desperately to meet a record demand for reception class places this year.

Families across Bristol are receiving offers of places this weekend, and although the council has promised that every child will be allocated a school, many will not get one close to their homes. Bishopston is one of the areas that has been short of places for some years and agreement was reached last year to build a school alongside the cricket club on a site next to City of Bristol College known as the Brunel Field.

But construction work has not yet begun so there is no chance of the classrooms being ready for the first intake of pupils.

So the council is proposing to put the reception class children into the education suite in the Jessop Stand at the cricket club from September to Christmas.

The council is pressing ahead with this plan in spite of opposition from parents at the junior school and at Ashley Down Infant School.

The authority will publish legal notices on Monday about the intention to expand and change the age range of Ashley Down Junior School from seven to 11 to four to 11. This should enable the council to be able to offer places at the new Brunel Field site by April.

Clare Campion-Smith, Lib Dem cabinet councillor for children, said: "Our proposal will provide much-needed primary school places. Given the record number of applications for primary school places for this September, it is essential we do everything we can to create extra places."