Petition calls for council to bring new Shrewsbury secondary school plans forward

The petition has been launched following claims that there is ‘no need’ for a new school in the town despite enormous development.

In recent weeks it has been revealed that some developers have been selling false promises to buyers - one even claiming the Wakeman is still open when it closed in 2013.

The petition reads “I believe that new development in Shrewsbury has reduced choice for secondary school places. Shropshire Council should bring forward plans to open a new secondary school to the public as a top priority, to match demand,” and is being promoted by Shrewsbury Lib Dem Councillors and campaigners.

Shropshire Council suggested that they will take no action on a new school till “the second half of this decade” and rejected claims there are issues with school places in Shrewsbury.

Cllr Alex Wagner has been leading his party’s campaign on schools in Shrewsbury. Please find his comments below.

Cllr Alex Wagner (Lib Dem, Bowbrook) said: “Shrewsbury needs strong, future-proof planning to meet school place needs going forward. The Council don’t want to hear it, but with waiting lists as long as they are, parents are being denied real choice on where their children go to school.

“It isn’t good enough to simply point to the Academy which for many parents is miles away, and just not viable. Shrewsbury should be a town where children can get a great education offered at a variety of fantastic schools - not one where you get what you’re given.

“What also isn’t good enough is for developers to advertise schools that don’t exist, have been closed, or are miles away. This sells buyers and newcomers to Shrewsbury a false promise. One large development in Bowbrook suggests children of buyers can go to the Wakeman which closed in 2013, Walton High which is in Stafford, Shrewsbury School which is not viable for most financially, and Shrewsbury Secondary which doesn’t exist!

“There is an alternative to this, but it will require real political will from Shirehall to bring plans forward and get things moving. There are several sites - an all-through at Bowbrook, the old Harlescott Grange, Kingsland Grange - that are viable. Lib Dems are calling on the Council to act and listen to residents.

“Our petition is within the art of the possible - we want the Council to take on comments about new developments and the strains they are causing, and to prioritise getting plans for a new secondary in place. This is not a tall order, it is what forward-thinking local authorities across the country are doing.

“Parents deserve choice, Shrewsbury deserves better, and we need a new secondary school to make that happen.”

Cllr Wagner has also submitted a question to Full Council on 23 September on this topic. It reads:

“TO: Portfolio holder for Children and Education

Shrewsbury has been subject to a period of, according to the Council itself, ‘unprecedented’ development. Thousands of houses have been built in Shrewsbury, and in the Council’s plan, thousands more are scheduled to be built over the next decade. Despite this, in recent years, Shrewsbury has actually seen a reduction in the number of secondary schools, most recently closing the Wakeman School and amalgamating Harlescott & Sundorne. In practical terms, this has marked a notable reduction in school choice for parents.

In previous answers to questions on school place needs, the Council have cited projects to expand Meole, and the availability of spaces at the Academy, the latter of which is not on the right side of town for most parents. This, in the eyes of many residents, does not provide a real long-term solution to issues with school place choice, especially in light of the aforementioned development. Could I ask whether the portfolio holder agrees with prior statements that there is ‘no need’ for a new secondary school in Shrewsbury, and whether there is any willingness at all to try and bring plans forward this side of 2030?”

Residents can sign the petition online.