Funding cuts leave pupils facing great divide over facilities

THE decision to axe funding for Bradford school rebuilding plans has left the city with a shortage of places and a two-tier education system where some pupils are being taught in state-of-the-art facilities while others sit in outdated classrooms. The council's plan to refurbish all of its secondary schools was dealt a massive blow this year when Ministers halted funding for the final phase of the project.

The city had already twice benefited from Building Schools for the Future cash which will help to build 15 schools across the city.

But when the Government pulled the plug on the scheme, the council lost an expected 350m which would have been used to redevelop 19 secondary schools across the district.

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Bradford Council's executive member for Children and Young People's Services, Coun Ralph Berry, is now campaigning for the city to receive funding under the new spending system, which is yet to be announced by the coalition Government. Ministers are expected to give priority to schemes which meet demand for places in primary schools and which tackle buildings in the worst condition across the country.

Coun Berry believes Bradford should score highly on both fronts. The authority has already completed a "call to evidence" document for the Government's review of capital spending.

Bradford has the fastest rising population of any major city in the country and is expected to need to find an extra 40,000 school places by 2020.

Coun Berry said the refurbishment of schools under BSF would have provided 3,000 extra places. He said: "We need to provide extra capacity and we will look at working with alternative providers like free schools and university technical colleges. The problem is schools like Aire Valley, which was formerly Nab Wood are difficult to adapt.

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"What I do not want to happen is for us to go back in time to a situation where children are having to be taught in temporary classrooms."

BSF cash has so far been used in Bradford to completely rebuild three schools: Titus Salt, in Baildon, Buttershaw High and Tong High. Four more secondary schools are being rebuilt with co-located special schools and a hearing impaired unit as part of the council's second phase of funding.

The final project would have refurbished the district's remaining secondary schools and provided a new special school.

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