Looming capacity crisis for Thame schools?

THERE is some concern among Thame Town Councillors, that a capacity crisis could be looming for Lord Williams’s School, if Thame has to have more housing than has been planned for.

Questions about future planning for secondary places in the town came from Thame Town Councillors to County Councillor Nick Carter, after his quarterly report to TTC on Tuesday, November 19, included a warning that, if housing growth increases significantly more than currently planned, it could trigger the need for further expansion of education provision in Thame.

‘Future Proofing’ Lord Bill’s

Cllr Kate Gregory told Cllr Carter that she was concerned about ‘future proofing’ Lord Williams’s School and asked if there were plans for the expansion of LWS and what the plan was regarding another secondary school, and suggested it could be in Chinnor. Cllr Carter replied that Icknield School in Watlington is an alternative for Chinnor pupils, but that it does not have sixth form facilities, but that choice could be a quicker solution.

Cllr Paul Cowell said that ‘there is already pressure at Lord Williams’s’ with 13,  year 7 classes. (ED. The published Admission Number for the school is 320 in each year group. However, for the academic year September 2020 – 2021 there will be an additional form of entry to Year 7, taking the admissions number for that year group to 350.) He, Cllr Cowell, feared that Thame would be left behind before the situation becomes a crisis, and asked what could be done to raise the priority for engagement between the various bodies.”

Less choice for pupils outside catchment area?

Cllr Carter said that although the county council is responsible for admissions, the fact that the school is an autonomous Academy ‘complicates relationships’. He added that LWS has a new Headteacher ‘which may well be a factor’, and that he had not spoken to him about his view yet. In his report earlier, Cllr Carter had said: “As future housing development in Thame increases the local population, the planned expansion of Lord Williams’s should ensure sufficient school choice for families within the catchment area, but there is likely to be a reduction in choice for families outside the catchment area.” (ED. As well as from Chinnor, Lord Williams’s designated area includes some Buckinghamshire villages. It also attracts children from outside its designated area, from other parts of Buckinghamshire.)

He explained that The Thame Neighbourhood Plan protects a site for a potential new primary scool, as well as for secondary school expansion. “There may be just one answer, he said, “..to build a new secondary school. But where it should be built, is a factor.”

Thame’s Primary Schools

Cllr Carter report that: “Several primary schools in the Thame & Chinnor area have expanded in response to recent and planned housing development, in some cases providing additional school capacity faster than the pupil generation from the housing growth, so in the short term creating spare places.

Once the current expansion programme is completed, there is expected to be sufficient capacity to meet demand resulting from the adopted SODC core housing strategy, but if housing growth increases significantly more than currently planned, it could trigger the need for further expansion in Thame.

Early Years Provision – not enough!

In terms of Early Years free entitlement, Cllr Carter added: “Provision across this area barely meets the needs of the local population. Additional early years capacity will be required to meet increased demand for places created by housing developments.