Ministers have been urged by Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham to rethink their decision to reject an application for a new secondary school to serve the Wynyard area following an increase in house building in the area – and with proposals for more homes in the pipeline.
An application for a secondary school was submitted in 2019 only to be rejected by the Government on the grounds that school places were available across the Stockton on Tees and Hartlepool boroughs. At the time Alex criticised Ministers for the disingenuity behind the decision after it emerged that, rather than an organic capacity or proposals for building extensions, officials had simply asked schools to increase its numbers to accommodate more students.
Now in a letter to Schools Minister, Nick Gibb MP, Alex highlights the continuing growth of the Wynyard area due to development and the impact of transporting school children across the borough and beyond on local roads in an appeal for Ministers to look again at the case for a new secondary.
The Wynyard Masterplan, a blueprint for the area which was adopted by both Stockton on Tees and Hartlepool Councils states that based on building output the need for a new secondary school “will potentially arise in the mid-2020s”.
Alex said:
“I’m once again calling for Ministers to support parents and children living in Wynyard and back plans for a new secondary school in the area. My understanding is that the land has been identified – we just need Ministers to accept there is a need for increased education provision.
“Three years ago we were told that there were enough places in other schools, only to find that these places came about because Ministers asked for an increase in capacity. This isn’t sustainable, we can’t just pack more and more kids into classrooms.
“More housing development should be backed by the infrastructure required to support it, infrastructure such as schools. I hope the Minister will commit to re-examining the case for a new secondary at Wynyard and support the area to grow into a sustainable community.”
