Council on track to deliver primary school places

Hillingdon.gov.uk news release - 20 July 2011:

"At the council's Cabinet (Thursday, 28 July 2011), a progress report on provision of primary school places in Hillingdon will show that the council is well on track to ensure all children in the borough have a school place, despite a huge rise in the predicted number of children in Hillingdon.

Between 750 and 900 additional primary school places will be required in the next three years and the council is investing more than £100 million in an overall package which will ensure there are places for every child.

The first phase of the council's overall plans to tackle the national shortage of primary school places, Colham Manor, Grange Park, Brookside, Cranford and William Byrd Schools will be expanded.

In addition, plans for a new primary school will be discussed. The proposal would see a primary school built on a site at Lake Farm, Hayes, with at least three forms of entry.

David Simmonds, Cabinet Member for Education and Children's Services said: "This is a national issue and providing a primary school place for every child in Hillingdon is an absolute priority for the council. The council is investing significant sums of money in providing excellent school facilities, both at those schools which will take additional children and at any new school."

He added: "It is essential that we provide school places as close as possible to where children live and we have already said we will vary our green belt policy for schools as it is important that we choose a site with some green land so that children have good quality playing fields as well as high quality buildings. Lake Farm is a good option as it is well located and will be an important addition to the south of the borough and in particular the Hayes area, which has already benefited from investment in new facilities such as Botwell Green Leisure Centre and Library."

If all the plans are agreed by the council's Cabinet, Hillingdon is on track to deliver enough school places for every child in the borough."