Richmond headteachers try to solve primary school place shortage
10:00am Saturday 21st November 2009 in Where I Live By Chris Wickham
Headteachers have been meeting to work out what to do about the chronic shortage of primary school places, it has emerged.
Councillor Malcolm Eady, Richmond Council cabinet member for children’s services and education, said he has been “very pleased” with the schools’ co-operation and said there had been a “very good exchange of ideas”.
London Councils, the umbrella organisation representing the capital’s authorities, announced last week that figures collated from boroughs showed a predicted shortfall of 50,710 reception class places over the next seven years, which would cost £880m to solve.
It was also reported there were 40 primary schools of more than 700 pupils in London and, although none of these were in Richmond, the council plans to merge Stanley Infant and Junior Schools, in Teddington, to create an all-through primary school, taking in 120 pupils a year.
The council’s £32m primary school revamp is set to provide an extra 150 permanent reception places, but Coun Eady said the authority had to add seven temporary extra classes, known as bulge classes, this September.
He said he was expecting to add 11 more next September, with even more the following year due to the rising birth rates and a drop off in parents choosing private schools.
Richmond Conservatives have criticised the council for a lack of planning but Coun Eady said only 30 new reception places were added between 2002 and 2006 when the Conservatives were in power and that was part of the problem.
Coun Eady said there was unlikely to be a large amount of Government money for refurbishment so council officers had met with headteachers to seek a solution.
He said: “There was a very good exchange of ideas, and now, together with the governing bodies, the feasibility of the proposals are being investigated.
“I have been very pleased by the co-operation we have received from the schools in tackling this unexpected problem.
“It is not the time for local petty political sniping, there is now a need for co-operation in tackling this very serious problem.”
