School Places update

Hampshire County Council has launched a consultation on primary school places in Winchester – looking at three options:

• Option A: Primary provision as part of The Westgate School
  Create a 420 place primary provision on the Rotherly site adjacent to The Westgate School, and change the age range of the school so that it caters for pupils between the ages of 4-16.
• Option B: The expansion of existing primary schools
  Expand a number of existing schools in the Winchester area.
• Option C: Alternative proposals (sic)
  Hampshire County Council would welcome proposals for viable alternative options. There are basic criteria these would have to fulfil.

The local Lib Dem County Councillors will shortly be meeting County Council Officers to review the options with them and understand them better.

One question to understand is why Rotherly is the only site put forward.  Previously (as, for example, when Lanterns was being planned) a range of sites were put forward.

We also want to see more work on the traffic front.  Currently they’re assuming no increase in traffic from putting a new school at Rotherly which, given how the road looks during the school run currently, before it even has a school on it, seems optimistic.

For the full consultation documents or to complete the consultation survey online visit: www.hants.gov.uk/winchesterprimaryplaces

Open meetings are also planned – both at 7:30 pm – on May 8 at Westgate and on May 15 in the Ashburton Hall, Elizabeth II Court, The Castle.

There will also be drop-in sessions at the County Council offices and at Westgate School.  Details of the drop-in sessions are here.