Plans for primary school dropped

Plans have been dropped for a new primary to tackle a school places “black hole” in Yorkshire’s biggest city.

The school in the Roundhay area was supposed to provide much-needed additional pupil places in the north of the city.

PLANS FOR have been dropped a new primary to tackle a school places “black hole” in Yorkshire’s biggest city.

The school in the Roundhay area was supposed to provide much-needed additional pupil places for children in the north of the city – but the trust set up to run it was forced to pull out of the scheme as a result of a suitable site not being secured.

In a statement released last night, the Fair Access Schools Trust said it had taken “the very difficult decision to withdraw the free-school bid with immediate effect”, adding that “no further public money and resources should be wasted”.

It comes after Leeds City Council submitted a viability study to the Department for Education for Roundhay Park Lane East; however, the site was found to be undeliverable from a planning and value-for-money perspective.

The statement from the “incredibly disappointed” trust said: “We had been warned that if the site put forward by the council was not found to be viable that there would be no other option left but to cancel the project.”

The trust has apologised to families for failing to deliver the school blaming a barrage of problems that have arisen during the two-and-a-half-year saga. The Fair Access Schools Trust has withdrawn its free school bid, which was first put forward in 2015, after the Department for Education (DfE) announced it was unable to proceed after a suitable site failed to be found. It has blamed delays on acquiring a location, which resulted in the loss of its headteacher and project manager, and says it feels “let down” by Leeds City Council after it was encouraged to pursue a site that was eventually deemed to be undeliverable.

A statement released by the trust said: “We are so sorry we were unable to make this happen.

“Acquiring the right site for the school was always the most urgent and difficult milestone to achieve. All of the land in the right location for the school is in council ownership and this project has relied on the co-operation and will of Leeds City Council to make this school a become a reality.

“We have always felt that the practice ground at Roundhay Golf Club would provide the most ideal location for the school. However we were encouraged to pursue the site on Roundhay Park Lane East. We were assured that the council had a ‘very positive feel’ about the site and that ‘heads of terms could be achieved within a matter of weeks’. This was agreed on April 13, 2016 and yet 21 months later the trust finally learns that the site suggested by the council is undeliverable after all. We feel very let down and that local parents have been mis-led to believe that this was a viable option.”

The trust adds that it is “unacceptable” that parents continue to face huge uncertainties about which schools will have room for their children, and how far away those places may be.

It stressed that it does not believe proposals to make Moor Allerton Hall Primary School and the Allerton Grange School an allthrough school on one combined site is an acceptable solution.

In a joint statement, the Department for Education and Leeds City Council said: “All parties have worked very hard for almost two years to secure a suitable, valuefor-money, deliverable site in the Roundhay area. Despite the best efforts of both sides, we were unable to secure a site, and needed to be mindful of continuing to commit resource to this search.

“However, the council and department will continue to work together for solutions to best meet the needs of children in Leeds. The council is currently seeking other solutions.”

All parties have worked very hard to secure a suitable site. The Department for Education and Leeds City Council.