Parents to stage protest after children allocated school in different town
Shoreham parents will stage a protest march on Saturday (May 13) over the council’s alleged failure to not provide enough secondary school places at nearby schools. Many parents were shocked in March when West Sussex County Council did not allocate their children any of the three schools in the nearby area.
This was particularly the case at Swiss Gardens Primary School in Shoreham, where 28 out of 78 Year 6 pupils were allocated St Andrews CE High School in Worthing. Parents say that looking at the number of primary school children in Adur, West Sussex County Council should have been more prepared in facilitating them at Shoreham Academy, Sir Robert Woodard Academy and Steyning Grammar School.
From 10am, the protest march will start in Adur Recreation Ground and end by the war memorial at St Mary’s Church. Many in the community feel their children’s choices are being ignored and that council did not add extra spaces as planned.
A Freedom of Information Request from one of the parents concerned revealed that a viability study was carried out in February 2020 with the objective of providing an extra 60-90 places at Sir Robert Woodard Academy. The completion date for the extension work was August 2023, although this never took place.
Along with not providing school places in the local area, some parents also accused West Sussex council of “playing experiments with [their] children’s lives” by sending them to a school they claim is under-subscribed. An Ofsted inspection carried out in April last year found the school was “inadequate”, and that it had “serious weaknesses”.
Mia Lowney, head teacher of St Andrew’s told SussexLive in March the school achieved its best results in recent history this year, significantly outperforming the progress of comparative schools. She added that a multitude of enhanced transition events have been organised ahead of the Year 7 intake in September.
Other FOI requests from parents have revealed as many as 63 Year 6 pupils in Adur have been offered places at St Andrews, while just 14 pupils in Shoreham are slated to attend Sir Robert Woodard Academy. The Lancing school has been the most common option for parents living in west Shoreham in recent years.
In a meeting with parents earlier this month, West Sussex council leader Paul Marshall reportedly apologised to parents over the allocations. Graham Olway, Assistant Director for School Organisation, Resources and School Services, added that the council planned to send surplus children in Adur to undersubscribed schools in Worthing.
“The council has known for years they had more kids than places, and we’ve been asking them to do something about it,” Jade Sowa, mum of 10-year-old Miles, told SussexLive. “Reading between the lines, it looks like there’s a school in Worthing that is not doing too well and is under-subscribed. Instead of sending children to local schools, the council has decided to use it as a chance to fill up empty slots in a different area.
“We’re all pinning our hopes on appeals but it’s very unlikely that those are going to be successful because there is just no space at those schools.”
Ms Sowa added that although some parents have now accepted places at St Andrew’s, the majority have appealed with some now applying for schools in Brighton and Hove.
“I’m still gobsmacked by it even now,” she said. “They must have decided that a long time ago but chosen not to tell us or give us a warning that it could happen.
“They’ve taken away any chance for a parent to plan for what’s right for them and their family. It even looks like it could be as bad next year, but not enough is being proactively done to add extra places in Shoreham schools.”
Responding to SussexLive, WSCC admitted that although the vast majority of pupils in the county have been offered one of their preferred schools, it appreciates the “strength of feeling and frustration” for the families affected.
A spokesperson said: “The provision of places requires analysis of projected pupil numbers for each area of the county and, while this is as detailed as possible, there are a variety of factors and challenges each year that affect this, not all of which can be fully anticipated. We will be working with schools in the areas of the county most affected this year to identify potential solutions and whether additional places are needed in future years.
“Our admissions team remain on hand to provide support, including advice about the appeals process. We will continue to track the trends in pupil numbers across the county and, once preference applications for September 2024 are received at the end of October 2023, we will work with schools to review and plan future provision.”