New homes concerns raised over Shrewsbury secondary school places

Shrewsbury's Wakeman School closed a decade ago when pupil numbers were falling

Concerns have been raised that there are not enough secondary school places in Shrewsbury to cope with demand from new housing developments.

Labour councillor Rosemary Dartnall said some pupils in her area were having to travel up to five miles, despite living closer to three other schools.

Shropshire Council said this year's large intake was a one-off.

However, it said enough places were found for all pupils.

Acknowledging a spike in the birth rate had fed into this year's figures, Ms Dartnall said people in her Column and Sutton division were still worried about the future.

"Residents often express concern that their children will not have a school place when the time comes, because they live in new homes and fear inadequate infrastructure is in place," she said.

Councillor Rosemary Dartnall said more than 10 pupils graduating from Mereside Academy faced journeys of several miles to Shrewsbury Academy

Councillor Kirstie Hurst-Knight, portfolio holder for children and education on the Conservative-controlled authority, acknowledged the high intake had put extra pressure on school capacity, but added forecasts showed this was a one-off.

She added that parental preference for particular schools had not become clear until applications were made.

The local authority said numbers were not expected to keep rising in subsequent academic years, meaning there was no need to build another school.

However, Ms Hurst-Knight told a meeting of the council's cabinet that a wider review was under way, which would include the situation in Shrewsbury.

"This will result in the drawing up of a county-wide five to 10-year strategic plan for the provision of additional school places to meet forecast increased demand in future years," she added.