A new school may have to be built in west Shrewsbury by 2020, council officials have admitted.
The news comes just days after Shropshire councillors voted not to defer a decision to close The Wakeman secondary school.
They also voted not to allow Stiperstones Primary School extra time to formulate plans to form a federation with other primaries.
David Taylor, director for people’s services, said: “In the early 2020s we will need to consider whether to expand one or more existing schools, to create a new school or to rebuild and extend an existing school on a new site in the Shrewsbury area.
“In part, this would depend on the development of educational practice over the next decade as well as the total availability of funding, patterns of parental preference, location of major developments, whether there are new sources of employment and therefore the extent to which new housing attracts new pupils. Current projections show this would most likely be needed in the west of Shrewsbury and not in the Wakeman catchment area.
“If a new school is needed, this would be funded in part by Government grant as well as Section 106 agreements and Community Infrastructure Levy payments which both provide a way for developers to contribute towards facilities for the benefit of local communities.”
He added: “Currently Wakeman School has 52 per cent surplus capacity and as pupil numbers continue to fall, it could become difficult to attract or retain sufficient specialist staff to deliver the expected range of subjects, or even to use specialist teachers to deliver the full national curriculum.”
But Andy Rayment, chair of governors at The Wakeman, said: “We have provided evidence that Shrewsbury schools will be full for Year Seven pupils by 2017 if The Wakeman is closed. Shropshire officials have admitted that a new secondary school will have to be built in 2020. The proposals are short sighted and a waste of taxpayer’s money. Over £4.5m of recent investment will be written off.”
by Charlotte Hester