The plan to build a new secondary school in Littleborough should ‘go back to the drawing board’, councillors say.
Proposals for the new site for Star Lakeside Academy have been in the works for years. It was supposed to open its doors in 2023.
But the project has been on pause since the Department for Education (DfE) suspended work three years ago. Councillors now want to start fresh.
The latest meeting of Rochdale council’s Pennines Township Committee was told there is ‘no news about the secondary school’ from the DfE.
That’s despite government officials aying they would update the council by late spring this year.
Councillor John Blundell said: “We don’t seem to know what we need now. I think we should go back to the drawing board.
“There is also the chance parents don’t want to send their children to this school as well. I just think the whole thing needs looking at again.”
Coun Ashley Dearnley agreed, saying constant changes in school places data means demand needs to be looked at again.
Potential new housing developments could see almost 1,000 more houses built in the next few years, which will siginificanly increase the number of places needed.
Recent Rochdale council data predicts a shortage of secondary school places in the Pennines and Rochdale areas for 2026 (13 places needed), for 2027 (58 places needed), and for 2028 (36 places needed).
Coun Janet Emsley said: “We have children being sent to Matthew Moss High School in Falinge and Todmorden High School from Littleborough. They are starting their day at 7am to get public transport to school.
“They have got two hours of travel before they start their school day – they will be brain dead by this point.”
Coun Richard Jackson said his child, attending a high school in Rawtenstall had to set off at 6.30am every morning, getting back at 6pm at night via public transport. He said these ‘incredibly long days’ for children are the reason the A58 road is battered – because so many children are driven to schools that aren’t nearby or within walking distance.
It was felt by politicians that the extra 150 school places per year, provided by Star Lakeside Academy, could be vital. But the Pennines Township Committee wanted to make sure it was done right.
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