Delay to school could harm the future of our children

✒ THERE is outrage that the future of Leckhampton’s new secondary school could be put in jeopardy because of one person’s rather selfish actions.

After months of uncertainty, we finally thought the new secondary school was going ahead and we could have confidence that the situation of school places was being addressed on a local level.

Everything could now be thrown into uncertainty once again because one individual has mustered the financial means to disrupt and delay it further by calling for a judicial review.

Any further delay could potentially damage the education of hundreds of Leckhampton children.

That the future of the next generation can be detrimentally affected in this way, on top of the damage their education has already suffered due to coronavirus, is so frustrating and does not seem democratic in any way.

If there was an alternative solution to school places this would not be as heartbreaking but there really is no other option for so many of our children and that needs to be given priority over everything else.

Hundreds of families had been pinning their hopes on this school being ready for next September.

I find it hard to believe the planning process was designed to be used in this way, giving one individual the power to affect so many young lives.

It is a cynical delaying tactic that should not be allowed to disrupt or derail what will be an asset to the Leckhampton community for generations to come. ✒ I HAVE just heard that there is a risk that the Leckhampton High School may not go ahead or may be delayed. This is extremely worrying and frustrating. We live on Church Rd and my eldest daughter has just gone into Year 6 at Leckhampton primary school, we were therefore reassured by the news that the new school would be open for 2021 entry albeit over to Balcarras as an interim measure. Because of this knowledge we have decided to stay in the local area and not feel forced to move house to ensure that we are in a catchment area for the school we would like my daughter to attend.

My daughter is already excited by the prospect of going to the new local school which she can happily make her own way to on foot without the need for a parent to get in a car and drive her elsewhere. With the craziness and unpredictability of life at the moment this is the last thing that the children in this year group need. We just can’t see the plans change at this late hour, it’s not fair on the families that will be directly impacted and who have planned big life decisions on the new school being built. THIS IS SIMPLY UNACCEPTABLE.