Sponsored by
Peterborough schools at breaking point due to demand
Hampton Hargate Primary School, Peterborough. Picture: Alan Storer
AN EXPLOSION in the number of children starting school has taken education chiefs by surprise and may mean more will miss out on their first-choice schools.
Peterborough City Council has revealed that it has almost reached the limit for the number of pupils it can have starting primary school in September.
The worst affected areas are Hampton and the city’s central areas with Fulbridge Primary School, Gladstone Primary School, Hampton Hargate Primary School and Hampton Vale Primary School among a number of schools having to turn families away because they are full up in every year group.
Cabinet member for education, councillor John Holdich said the boom in migrant workers living in areas like Eastfield, Eastgate, Dogsthorpe, Fengate, Newark and Parnwell is the reason why demand for places is so great in central Peterborough.
He said it is difficult to predict primary school numbers as it is hard to estimate the numbers of workers entering the city.
He added: “We can keep an eye on the demography through births, marriage and death numbers but we cannot easily find out how many new people are moving to the city and they are still moving here at a fair old rate.
“We are looking to build a new school in the PE1 area but because of all the planning regulations we have to follow, that is likely to be about two years off.”
The council has also had to put its building projects to increase the classroom space in the city’s schools on hold ahead of the Government’s October budget review and impending cuts.
There are currently 2,438 children due to start reception classes from September in the city.
But if any more join during the course of the year it will mean the council will need to use some of the 120 surplus places which Government guidelines suggest the council should keep free.
The rise in applicants will mean more children will miss out on their first and second choice schools.
It could also end up having a financial impact on the council, which has to fund transport for any student who has more than two miles to travel to school.
Isabel Clark, council’s head of school place planning, said: “There has been a steep increase in demand for primary school places causing pressures on the system in certain areas of the city.
“We have processed 2,438 applications for places at primary schools for the September start, which leaves very little room for additional placements.”
Mobile classrooms are being installed where needed to increase the number of places schools can offer but they are only a temporary solution.
Peterborough MP Stewart Jackson said there should be more consideration given to the amount of school places that are available when large housing developments are being planned.
He said: “When planning large developments the council has to ensure that the infrastructure accompanies it.
“I also think it was a mistake to close Honeyhill Primary School in Paston and the decision should be reviewed.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Peterborough
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -2 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South west
Comments
There are 28 comments to this article
Page 1 of 2
OHComments
Monday, August 16, 2010 at 02:04 PMshakes head at Gurracutta Some people!
James_Werrington
Monday, August 16, 2010 at 11:49 AMFree movement in the EU was a stupid and damaging idea thought up by the type of European nutters who see Europe as a super-state. The system should not allow their families to be brought over without at least a year’s notice rather than the kids just turning up at the schools in the middle of term. They could easily have come up with a system that allowed individual temporary transient work and also points-based family immigration for needed skills. The market does not just sort itself out; the politicians’ business-leader mates make a fortune and we’re left to pick up the pieces. What’s going to happen if the economy picks up in 3 years time and another EU immigration boom occurs? It makes Peterborough’s public services virtually unmanageable. I fear we won’t get any more central funding in the current economic climate when it’s totally unpredictable. They’re not going to fund a load of extra places just in case. It’s either suspicious or poor planning that this is all only coming out now after the building programs have been cancelled. Proper statistics to back all this up are needed such as how many children have returned to Eastern Europe.
A local chap
Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 06:43 PMGurrucutta - I agree. You missed a few commas and a full stop. Disgraceful. What sort of example is that to set? lol
Gurracutta
Saturday, August 14, 2010 at 05:37 PMIf the pathetic standard of english grammar and composition as demonstrated in these comments are an indication of what the local schools produce then I suggest all schools in the Peterborough area should close down. The effect would hardly be noticed and look at the money that would then be available to be wasted elsewhere
A local chap
Saturday, August 14, 2010 at 04:09 PMonefatladt - oh, I am sure Jackson has plans for them. He loves the needy (but can only eat one a day).
onefatlady
Saturday, August 14, 2010 at 12:10 PMIf Honeyhill is re-opened as a primary school what happens to the students at the pupil referral unit that currently occupies the building????
Holly Golightly
Saturday, August 14, 2010 at 08:42 AMBritoxfishy; You wrongly see the problem; the dumping ground of the world? Yes because the native English person is lazy and thick. Your work in Peterborough if being done by EU citizens because the Employers cannot get decent English people. You country hands out money as easy as anything and it encourages you lazy people to do nothing. The spongers are your children and grand children living of the hard work of those from ‘outside’ ! They is why your children need speying, to stop this lazy gene from continuing.
A local chap
Friday, August 13, 2010 at 11:16 PMI was interested in Jacksons comment about the closure of Honeyhill Primary being a mistake so did a little Googling. It was closed in 2004 when it was only 50% full. Wonder why he raises it now? Could it be the Tories lost a seat in Paston in May after putting up the great absentee Cllr, Adam Barker, instead of Charles Day...and they want to get it back?
britishfoxy
Friday, August 13, 2010 at 10:37 PMComment removed by moderator
A local chap
Friday, August 13, 2010 at 10:14 PMOrdinary - I think you will find it is 'admit'. You really are ordinary....and why, oh, why when someone speaks the truth, do you assume that? But then I have commented on your input before lol. Cereste has never said it is not a problem - just that 26 out of 20000 is hardly a national catastrophe and the UKBA Police Council are dealing with it. Blimey - keep your hair on Ordinary lol
Holly Golightly
Friday, August 13, 2010 at 09:42 PM27 languages in one school - rubbish just teach them English (or German). Problem is the teachers need special training of how to shout at the pupils to make them learn. They all watch English TV at home and learn from that.
Ordinary Bloke in the Real World
Friday, August 13, 2010 at 08:51 PMVoice of Reason (sic) - isn't it time you came out of the closet and admitted which Conservative councillor you are? Immigration is to blame, but as long as your glorious leader Cereste keeps saying it isn't a problem (see ET article on how the evil national press dared highlight all the immigrants sleeping rough on roundabouts) it'll never be recognised as a problem and Peterborough's schools will continue to fail the city's children.
Fagan
Friday, August 13, 2010 at 08:39 PMregardless of who's to blame for this entire mess i don't want to see my childrens education suffering as a result of schools being under staffed & having to spend too much time translating lessons into umpteen different languages.
henry
Friday, August 13, 2010 at 08:09 PMDeaths and marriages won't help you in finding out how many primary places you need. The PCC should know who and how many people live at each address, their children need to be registared - they clearly do not know how is here. Why build another school? When there is one not being used (Hereward.) We have the wronge people in this job wasting money and resources.
A local chap
Friday, August 13, 2010 at 08:04 PMDalek sec - there are times it would be easier to not be reasonable on here and just follow the herd. But I try to think these things through and reach objective conclusions. So is the school places problem 'high immigration'? Well, yes and no. When we have 27 languages spoken in one school, I think there is only one conclusion you can draw. But we have also seen in Hampton it is not that but demographics ie a higher number of families with young children than was expected. So should the council have anticipated these issues? I think it is tough to answer that as the first question is 'when did we all see this coming?'. It has only been in the past year that we have seen a really high profile on immigration (eg local national press) and perhaps a lower one the year before as the real problem was the opening of doors to the East Europeans. It is fair to say the council have responded (we have seen articles on a new primary in Hampton, a new school in PE1, re-opening a school) but it can take a long time to make these things happen (land planning etc).. Did everyone see this coming? Yes, in the last year. Before that? Yes, but the Labour Govt chose to ignore the warnings. Could we have anticipated the huge influx to Peterborough? Maybe.....
Page 1 of 2
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.