The Olympus Academy Trust has opened a public consultation on a proposal to extend the age range of Bradley Stoke Community School (BSCS) to provide an ‘all through’ school for the 4-19 age range.
It is planned that this will be achieved by the provision of a new purpose-built primary facility on land that is currently part of the BSCS site, adjacent to the existing school buildings, to provide 210 places across the primary phase.
Funding for new primary school provision in Bradley Stoke was secured last July, when it was confirmed that South Gloucestershire Council had made a successful bid to the government’s £982 million Targeted Basic Need (TBN) programme, which is intended to provide more school places in areas of high demand.
The new primary age range facility is planned to open in September 2015.
The consultation runs until 28th February 2014. For details of how to respond, see the consultation summary document referenced below.
There will also be an opportunity to provide feedback in person at meetings to be held at 4pm and 6pm on Tuesday 11th February 2014 at BSCS.
The Olympus Academy Trust’s Admissions Policy will also be updated to reflect the proposed changes. Consultation on the draft policy is open for the same period.
BSCS currently has 180 places in each year group from Year 7 to Year 11. The draft policy explains:
“BSCS will also have 30 places in Reception (September 2015) and will expand by one year group each year (with the same number in each year group) until reaching capacity in September 2021. In September 2022 the number of places available for external allocation in Year 7 at BSCS will drop to 150. Students already on roll at BSCS at the end of Year 6 will be guaranteed continuation into secondary phase and a place in Year 7, should they wish to remain at BSCS.”
More information:
It makes no sense to me to use the available space for primary school facilities when the current secondary school capacity cannot satisfy local demand.
Bradley Stoke’s area of prime responsibility is shared between three schools BSCS, Patchway and Abbeywood.
Over the three schools there are enough secondary school places. Secondary places at BSCS wouldn’t expand unless overall there was a shortage of spaces.
Let’s hope the council have done the sums correctly and enough spaces are still available by 2022…
Sorry Aj but the figures don’t add up . Most local primary school have expanded their reception classes. MeadowBrook & Wheatfield have 150 pupils between them – what of the other 4+ primary schools? with 90 in Bailey’s court alone ? In addition with the 12000+ new homes been planned locally Patchway & Abbeywood will not have space for the children of Bradley Stoke.
So traffic gridlock , no secondary provision & we are still waiting for decent broadband – got to say the council seem to be doing a shocking job – for which they are paid handsomely.
This South Gloucestershire Council consultation might also be of interest if you have a child due to start school in September 2015:
Proposed admission arrangements for all community and voluntary controlled schools in South Gloucestershire for the 2015-2016 academic year
One of my concerns is traffic from parents driving their children to the new school. The traffic problem at BSCS is already bad with dangerous parking and manoeuvres from parents dropping children off. Where will the parents of the primary aged children park when they drop off and pick up their children? Because they will drive, no matter how close they are!
I, for one, think its immoral that some of the faith schools in BS get away with a single intake of 30 infants (funded by the tax payer) and yet our community schools are asked to take 90. If St Mary’s took more children it would negate the need for a new school. St Michael’s takes 120!!
Zippy sounds like sour grapes! St Mary’s is a tiny school with a very small playground. There is not enough room for even another class.
What we really need in south glos is another secondaty school. Hopefully a faoth one!
Another Primary school ?!! As other(s) have mentioned there are more primary school places being fed into BSCS/Olympus than there is capacity for BSCS to take to say nothing about the loss of much needed land at the school, the land available to a primary school on site for children to play will be pitiful unless they are aloud to use the secondary school fields too – a whole new can of worms! For me the biggest and most obvious issue is traffic and parking there is far too much traffic in the area as it is for the safety of the kids at the secondary school (let alone younger kids), you only have to think back to two very tragic accidents in the last couple of years. As for parking!! Just read the last issue of BSJ people complaining of not enough parking at the Dr’s / activity centre page 11, complaints of parking over the road from the Dr’s at the Hollow tree /Aldi page 5. There are very often not enough parking spaces at the Leisure which can over flow into BSCS and if there is an event at BSCS day or evening (which can be quite often with school events and private hire events) adding to this crazy situation is idiotic.
Oh and another story about lack of parking, I missed …. https://www.bradleystokejournal.co.uk/2014/02/10/brook-court-residents-appeal-council-solving-parking-crisis/
Yea we sure do need this new school …. NOT!
I have heard many people whisper this, and shock! horror!…
Someone is saying it out aloud (emperors new clothes style)
“I have the feeling there is a bit of empire building going on here 😉 “how many more schools can we (the Royal ‘We’) collect under “The DB Olympus Academy Trust””
I am just voicing what I have heard
Here here Bob. I think its just easier for the powers that be to cloak
The issue. Please all jump in here and blame the faith schools again!