New Army school has had a ‘destabilising effect’ on other schools

THE OPENING of a new school at the British Army’s largest base has had a destabilising effect on other schools in the area, councillors in North Yorkshire have been told.

The County Council’s Richmond constituency committee heard the council was losing out on funding, after the Education and Skills Funding Agency (EFSA) opened Cambrai Community Primary School, at the Army base in Catterick, before it was needed.

As there was scores of available places for pupils at Cambrai, the council could not seek education contributions from housing developers for other schools, potentially worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The council had invested in adding “umpteen” classrooms to council-run schools in the area, after the government said the garrison’s population would expand to 8,400 military personnel by 2030.

To cope with the influx, the EFSA opened Cambrai, a new academy, with fewer than 30 children.

Councillor Helen Grant, who is also deputy leader of Richmondshire District Council, said it was clear the launch of Cambrai School was having a destabilising effect on existing schools.

She added: “All the schools on Catterick Garrison have had an impact.”

While the academy – which will eventually take 420 pupils – was being developed, the council heard the Ministry of Defence had paused the building of new homes for incoming service families.

The council made representations to the EFSA over the school, however the agency decided to carry on, but take a more phased approach to its expansion.

Officers said there was still uncertainty about future demand for school places, depending particularly on the scale and timescale of the proposed Service Families Accommodation.