Jobs hopes as approval urged for merger of city schools

PARENTS will find it more convenient to pick up their children under plans to merge two federated schools on one site, creating new teaching jobs and improving facilities.

York's Clifton with Rawcliffe Primary School is currently operating on a split site – Rawcliffe Infants in Eastholme Drive and Clifton Without Junior in Rawcliffe Lane

Full planning consent is being sought to build a replacement school with all associated facilities on land by the adjacent playing fields in Eastholme Drive, York.

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York education expert Coun Carol Runciman said: "At the moment the infant school is on one site and the junior is on the other.

"The development means parents of younger and older children will only have to go to one school, rather than going from one to another during the day.

"It will be an enormous help. The new building will be much more sustainable, cheaper to run, and a more modern building, much more suitable for 21st century learning."

The new site will incorporate the existing Rawcliffe Infants School and part of the rear playing field which is currently affiliated to Canon Lee Secondary School.

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More teaching jobs will on the cards because the existing school has capacity for 240 pupils with an additional 26 in foundation stage.

The proposed new school will have a 630-pupil capacity with an additional 39 nursery places to be provided. The number of academic staff will increase from 34 to 63.

There have been a number of objections to the expansion, in particular about parking congestion, which is already a concern for residents.

But York Council officers are proposing a number of measures, including a school travel plan, waiting restrictions, and footpath improvements.

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It is accepted the proposal could increase the length of the time of on-street parking, extend the distance away from the school that people will park and affect more houses than at present. However, officials believed the mitigating measures would work.

The scheme is recommended for approval at a planning meeting next Thursday.

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