School to reopen to solve lack of pupil places?

A PORTISHEAD primary school which closed two years ago because of falling pupil numbers could be re-opened to deal with a shortage of school spaces in the town.

Councillors in Portishead are to ask North Somerset Council education chiefs to consider the possibility of re-opening St Barnabas School at West Hill to cope with an increasing shortage of primary school places in the town.

The school closed in August 2009 after education chiefs said it was no longer viable to operate it with such small pupil numbers and said they could accommodate the children at other schools in the town.

But new statistics prepared by North Somerset have revealed there will be a shortfall of 56 primary school places in 2014, rising to 103 by 2015.

The figures, contained in the council's pupils' projections for North Somerset Schools 2011- 2015, look at the number of primary school places needed in the Gordano and Pill cluster of schools.

This year 23 students were unable to get a place at a school in Portishead - 14 of which are being taken by taxi to other schools in the district at a cost of £1,000 a week.

Portishead councillors David Pasley, Arthur Terry, Reyna Knight and Alan McMurray are to launch a fact finding mission to see whether St Barnabas, which is now home to Portishead Childrens' Centre, could be re-opened to help solve the problem.

Councillor David Pasley said: "We cannot let the issue of the shortage of school places in Portishead continue and need to look at ways to resolve the problem as soon as possible.

"We have a perfectly acceptable school in Portishead which is currently lying empty.

"Building a new school would cost time and money, both something the council does not have.

"The building should already come up to education standards and we need to look if it can be re-opened to bring some sort of conclusion to this problem."

Additional school places have already been provided in Portishead as a result of the increasing demand over the years.

Portishead Primary School relocated to its new site at Harbour Road in 2003 and its capacity increased from 315 to 420 places.

St Peter's Primary was also expanded from a 315 place to 420 place school in September 2005 along with High Down Infant which increased its pupil capacity from 225 to 270.

Some schools in Portishead are also being expanded from this September to cope with the increase in demand in places.

Plans have been submitted to site temporary classrooms at St Peter's Primary, Hallett's Way, and at Portishead Primary School, Station Road to cope with a need in places from this September.

Trinity Primary School is also being expanded from a 210 place to 420 place primary.

Portishead currently has a population of around 22,000 but this is expected to swell to around 30,000 by the time all the housing developments are complete.

Mr Pasley added: "Portishead has grown massively over the years and is expected to grow further once all the development are complete.

"There are still lots more houses due to be built in Portishead and we have to consider our current predicament as well as look to the future.

"It is difficult to gauge how many families will move to Portishead and how many children will be born in the area over the next five years.

"But early indications show that demand will quickly outstrip demand.

"We will be asking for talks with council officers as well as asking for an assessment of St Barnabas to see whether it is possible to re-open it."

North Somerset Council executive member for children and young peoples' services, Councillor Jeremy Blatchford has already admitted that there will not be enough primary school places in the town in the next five years.

He said that one way that St Barnabas could re-open was as a free school or an academy.

Mr Blatchford said: "I reluctantly accept that not every child in Portishead is able to attend a school in the town.

"However we have increased the capacity in Portishead.

"We would not re-open St Barnabas because it would be uneconomic to operate and the building is used for other purposes.

"The parents of Portishead abandoned the school which led to it having more than 80 empty places and ultimately led to its closure.

"It is still cheaper to taxi students to other schools elsewhere than open an extra classroom for  a very small number of students.

"It would be helpful if all parents followed the application procedure because a number of the disappointments are self inflicted."