Tees Valley
Complaints force council to revise schools proposal
PLANS for £150m spending on
secondary schools in Stockton
have been revised after a backlash
of complaints from residents.
Stockton Borough Council has
done a U-turn on a number of its
original proposals to overhaul education
in the town - and its
plans to open three new academies.
The council has amended its
proposals in the light of the results
of a public consultation,
which took place late last year.
It faced fierce criticism from all
areas of the town, but particularly
from residents and councillors
who did not want their
school knocked down and replaced
with an academy, or their
schools put on the same sites as
other schools.
As a result, Billingham Campus
School will no longer be replaced
with a new academy. Instead,
it will be remodelled on the
same site.
Following a transport assessment,
Ian Ramsey School, in
Stockton, will not be demolished
and moved to a shared site with
Our Lady and St Bede's and
Grangefield schools.
It will remain where it is, but
all three will be redesigned and
modernised.
All Saints School in Ingleby
Barwick, which was originally
earmarked to take an additional
150 students, will now be extended
to take an extra 300 pupils - increasing
its capacity by 50 per
cent.
In Thornaby, Westlands
School, for children with additional
needs, will be provided
with a new building.
The council is expecting to receive
£150m from the Government's
Building Schools for the
Future scheme to fund the massive
project.
Other proposals include:
● St Michael's School, in Billingham,
to move to a new building
on the Billingham Campus site;
● Northfield School, in Billingham,
to be refurbished and share
some facilities with the Campus
site;
● Norton and Blakeston schools
to be closed and replaced with an
academy;
● Bishopsgarth School to be remodelled
and extended to 800
places;
● Thornaby Community School
to be replaced with an academy
and possibly sharing a site with
St Patrick's Roman Catholic
School;
● Egglescliffe School to be
moved to Allens West and reduced
by 150 places;
● Conyers School to be remodelled
and reduced by some places.
The council has already been
in discussion with the Government
over the possibility of
amending its original plans and
said the talks had been "very positive".
Councillor Alex Cunningham,
cabinet member for children and
young people, said: "All of these
developments result from comments
received in last year's consultation.
We have listened to
local views, made significant
changes then championed them
in discussions with the Government.
"Their response has been very
encouraging and we will now put
these ideas forward as firm proposals."
The people of Ingleby Barwick
have been lobbying for an additional
secondary school for years,
as 600 children have to travel to
Yarm and Eaglescliffe to school.
However, the council said there
was no suitable location for a
new school and said All Saints
School could only be extended to
take another 300 students.
Councillor David Harrington,
a member of the Ingleby Barwick
Independent Society, said the
revised plans did not go far
enough.
He said: "Although it's welcome
news, it still comes short of
the significant number of children
who leave Ingleby Barwick
for school on a daily basis. The
only answer is 1,200 places,
whether it be another school or
further expansion."
Talks are still ongoing with the
Middlesbrough diocese over
whether St Patrick's Catholic
School should be merged with
Thornaby Community School or
co-located with it on a new site.
11:09am Thursday 15th May 2008
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