No plans yet for old school
COUNCIL ARE LOOKING INTO POSSIBLE OPTIONS FOR USING BUILDING
EDUCATION chiefs in Kirklees have admitted they are looking into options for the possible future use of Almondbury Community School (ACS) but that no plans are in place.
In a much criticised move Kirklees Council took the controversial decision last year to axe the secondary phase at the school.
It led to protests outside Huddersfield Town Hall as children fought to save their school.
Children have been re-distributed to other neighbouring schools including Netherhall Learning Campus, Newsome High and King James’s in Almondbury.
The latter is to receive more than £5m to pay for an extension, which will be used to accommodate an extra 150 youngsters from the former ACS.
The new building is planned to open for the start of the 2021 school year. The school roll will jump from 900 to 1050 pupils.
The expansion of King James’s has thrown into question the future of the buildings on the ACS site.
Quizzed on the council’s plans, Labour education chief Clr Carole Pattison (Greenhead) said nothing had been decided.
However she did reveal council staff were looking at potential options.
Asked by the Lib Dems’ Clr Alison Munro (Almondbury) if she could outline what plans were in place once all ACS pupils move to King James’s, Clr Pattison said: “No is the answer at the moment. Officers are still looking at all the different options available to those buildings.
“One of the reasons why there is no plan at the moment is because the plans for the additional places at King James’s and the work to Netherhall obviously needed to be approved before we could really start looking at other future options.
“Those options are under consideration.”
Asked specifically by Clr Munro if she could reveal what those options were, Clr Pattison replied: “No. I’m not conversant with those yet.
“It’s not a discussion that’s been brought to members though it is being thought about.
“It was under consideration before the [Covid-19] crisis hit us but the thoughts of the school staff have been elsewhere, I’m afraid.”
The Conservatives’ Clr Bernard McGuin(Almondbury) said he welcomed the expansion at King James’s, describing it as “the only solution” for the issues caused by closing ACS.
He asked whether an inquiry would take place into the money pumped into schools in the area, which he said had been “wasted”.
He cited the creation of Almondbury Community School, the school’s subsequent closure and the expansion of King James’s.
He said: “It seems like a hell of a lot of money has gone into the area and now all the pupils will be cramped on that one site at King James’s which, frankly, is not suitable.”
He suggested that the Fernside site, which will be empty of secondary school pupils in the coming years, would be “ideal” for a school for the whole of Almondbury.
Clr Pattison said she was not aware that anyone had called for an inquiry.
She commented: “All the figures could be pulled together but whether or not that would be a worthwhile expenditure to make in itself, I’m not sure.”
Clr McGuin received an assurance that concerns over heightened traffic on the narrow roads and parking around King James’s School following expansion would be investigated.