Local MP Steve Brine has welcomed news that Colden Common Primary School will expand further for September 2014.
The school and the county council have agreed, after careful thought, to accept 60 children in Year R this academic year and increase to 45 in Year 1 and 2. They have also agreed to take up to 60 year R children in 2015.
In a letter to all parents, sent on Friday 2nd May 2014, Headteacher Sharon Taylor said; "Our Published Admission Number will remain at 45 and therefore the school will not be growing to a 2 form entry school at this point. The reason for this decision is that numbers from the census show that while there are more than 45 school aged children living in Colden Common at the moment, this is not consistent in future years. Of course, if the pro-posed building work goes ahead in Colden Common then this decision will be re-visited and our future planning has considered this."
The move has been welcomed because a large number of applications for this September had initially resulted in 11 families from the village not being offered places at the school.
Winchester MP Steve Brine, who has two young school-age children himself, has campaigned relentlessly on the issue since being elected in 2010 and last month attended an open consultation event at the school in Colden Common which looked at expanding the school in future years. He also held a street surgery in the village last September at which the subject was raised and subsequently visited the school (in October 2013) to meet with staff and discuss the issue.
Steve says; "This is great news for parents in Colden Common and I think very much part of the success we've had right across the area to bring new primary places online for this September. As a parent with young children myself, I know the relief this move will bring to many. All credit to the school and the county council who I know have not come to this decision lightly but have done so with a sensible worked through plan that accommodates the bulge years we're currently experiencing while building in flexibility for the future so as to avoid a repeat of the expensive places surplus seen once before at the school."
Pictured; Steve with Headteacher Sharon Taylor on his visit to the school in October 2013.
More information ...
Steve Brine wrote on the subject of school places in his April 2014 Hampshire Chronicle column (opens as a PDF)
