Dear Editor

I know you have regularly featured progress on Fairford Leys Parents' fight for BCC to take necessary action to safeguard our children's education. As a concerned parent I feel compelled to highlight yet more evidence of BCC's continued and repeated incompetence.

I have attended meetings and listened to BCC justify their gross under-provision of school places at St Mary's because they simply did not know how many houses Fairford Leys would finally contain. (I personally am incredulous that Planning and Education departments do not consult with each other.) BCC repeatedly deny accountability for the actions of their predecessors in planning these numbers and yet they are about to repeat the same mistake.

BCC's policies state that, for planning new developments, an average 'pupil generation rate per 100 dwellings' is assumed. For Buckinghamshire this rate is 27 (25 is the national average). For Fairford Leys, a development of 2,071 dwellings, there should therefore be 560 places according to this planning assumption.

The school was originally built to accommodate 380 pupils. At that time it would have been known that this was insufficient.

In 2004 the school was therefore expanded to increase from 380 to 420 (costing somewhere in region of £250k) and again at that point it would have been known that this fell short of requirements.

However it now transpires that further investment (~£350 - £400k) is required to ensure the school is actually fit for purpose for the 420 pupils attending.

If BCC do not invest now they put continued pressure on the school and attending pupils to endure conditions below par.

If BCC do invest now they will provide a school for 420 pupils knowing that still falls far short of the real pupil places required.

Just how are BCC spending our money? How can we be confident they will ever get the numbers right, learn from previous mistakes and do the right thing for all our children?


Yours sincerely,


G Hydon

Do you agree with Mrs Hydon?

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