Green light for schools shake-up

Councillors met to discuss the future of four schools in the area as part of a major shake-up of education, which will see a number of schools merged or closed to cope with a falling birth rate.

There are currently 5,000 surplus places across the area, which Wakefield Council says costs the local authority 5m a year.

Members agreed to build a new 6.25m school to replace Pontefract's Chequerfield Infant and Willow Park Junior schools as well as agreeing further details of the merger of Wakefield's Snapethorpe Primary and Waterton Junior and Infants.

In Wakefield, councillors agreed children are to attend a new merged school on the Snapethorpe site.

Parents waged a long and bitter battle to save Waterton, during which they held protests outside Wakefield Town Hall. An Ofsted report from 2006 said the school building was "not conducive to creative and stimulating learning" and council bosses say it will take 1m to bring it up to scratch.

A report to members of the council's Cabinet committee said: "Snapethorpe Primary and Waterton schools serve the community of Lupset in Wakefield. Surplus places over recent years have increased due to the remodelling of the housing provision and the falling birth rate.

"Both schools have difficulties presented by their respective locations and this competition process offers the opportunity to create a new school and address many of the current issues."

Public talks will now be held on the merger and the decision to base the school at Snapethorpe.

The school will provide 525 full-time places and 52 nursery places. It is expected that works on the school would be completed by September 2013.

Members also agreed to build a new school on the site of Willow Park Junior School which will accommodate 315 children – more than originally forecast as there has been a recent increase in demand for school places.

The report says: "The proposed new school, to replace Willow Park Junior School and Chequerfield Infant School is anticipated to cost 6.25m, including fees.

"Further detailed consultation and fine tuning of the proposal will be undertaken with Governors, staff, parents and pupils of the schools before the final agreed scheme commences."

In 2009, when the proposals were earlier discussed by members, Wakefield Council said the aim of the proposals was to reduce the number of partly empty schools, create new and improved schools and free up to be invested in schools.

Many of the schools under consideration need investment to modernise facilities, a report to members of Wakefield Council's cabinet said at the time.

It said: "The proposed closures and amalgamation of schools may result in vacant buildings.These will be managed in order to minimise the potential for vandalism and risk to the public."

It added: "Previous reports on pupil place planning have identified a 'cost' of surplus places around 5m per annum. Proposals for amalgamations and/or closures of schools will reduce the number of surplus places, freeing up schools funding for remaining schools.

"There is likely to be a short-term impact of any proposals for changes and future reports setting out the results of consultation and proposing next steps will set out the impact on school budgets."