Morley School Numbers Crisis

New figures released to the MBI group by Education Chiefs on Leeds City Council show that all Morley Primary and Secondary Schools will be full by 2016. This is based on projections of actual births and children who already live in the Morley area.

What do these figures mean? They mean that new developments - such as Daisy Hill and Bruntcliffe Road - will generate so many additional children for primary and secondary schools that they will be overwhelmed and unable to cope!

Presently all of Morley primary schools are two form entries apart from Asquith Primary and St Frances. Both Asquith and St Frances are proposed to be extended (by an additional 30 places at Asquith and by 8 up to 30 at St Frances.) Newlands goes to a three form entry when the new school (delivered by an MBI campaign) is built in 2014. Even with those schools expanded there will be 420 available school places and 427 children presently in the system by 2016. If you add an additional 100 to 150 kids from new developments from Daisy Hill and Bruntcliffe then it doesn't take a mathematical genius to see that there is no room available for these additional children.

Indeed at a meeting this week Education Chiefs confirmed that there is no other Primary school in Morley than can be expanded for these additional children. Morley is indeed full up!

Labour continue to bang additional housing burdens on Morley as they force through Daisy Hill and Bruntcliffe Road against substantial local opposition. They seem to like to play the game of Buckaroo - the game I played as a kid - when you keep loading a mule bit by bit until it bucks off the whole lot. That's what Labour does in Morley. It adds additional burdens to creaking infrastructure and doesn't give a toss if it can cope as long as they protect Labour areas from similar problems.

We will use this new information to campaign against future large scale housing developments. We will see if Labour will now listen to good sense - but don't hold your breath!