Buster Cat
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Over loaded schools in prospect - 2006/07/16 20:59
If you accept that the Phoenix proposals will increase the population of Lewes by 10% and unless the new development attracts only the childless, consider the following:
The East Sussex Education department's research shows that in 2010 the number of places required in Lewes schools will have fallen from 1479 places to 1422!
There are 1416 children in Lewes primary schools today. The difference from the 1479 figure is because currently in the town's primary schools there are 109 places available in 4 of the schools. Although to partly offset this, 2 other primary schools (Southover and Wallands) between them are 46 pupils over capacity. Therefore this gives a net under capacity of 63.
If you increase the population of the town by 10% (and this doesn't include the many other smaller scale developments apart from the Phoenix), then this could add 142 children of primary school age (10% of 1416). If all primary schools were to be at exactly maximum capacity in 2010 (1479 i.e. with no extra spaces made available by then and none of the temporary classrooms stripped away)then with a 10% increase (1416+10% = 1558)there would still be a shortfall of 1558-1479 = 79 places.
If the Phoenix proposals go ahead, then presumably there would be a section 106 agreement which requires the developers to contribute towards the cost of this. However, there would still either be bigger class sizes all round (where do you deploy the extra teachers?) or there would have to be more classroom building. Which Lewes primary schools could absorb new building, I wonder? Presumably not Southover or Wallands!
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