Liverpool Council is finalising the location of a proposed free school in the city, two years after it was first announced.
In February 2021, the Department for Education (DfE) confirmed its latest wave of free school allocations, with Liverpool among the areas earmarked. A report ahead of the city council’s education and skills committee meeting next week has confirmed the location of the new school could be on the horizon.
The document, compiled by cabinet member Cllr Tom Logan, reiterated the stance on how the council requires at least two new secondary schools over the coming years, “including the need for a new school to open in September 2024.” In March last year, Cllr Logan said Liverpool was in “dire need” of extra school places to meet demand and more than 5,000 residents applied for a year 7 place for 2022.
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He admitted there was “no silver bullet” to fix the problem, with at least 400 Year 7 places needed. On the free school, Cllr Logan wrote: “We are closer than ever before and working closely with the DfE to finalise location for the new Free School that was announced in early 2021.”
In September, Jonathan Jones, director of education and skills said the council is “clutching at every bit of land” it can get as it struggles to meet the demands for school places. Mr Jones went one further than his colleague and said realistically the city needed four sites to properly ensure places could be covered.
A month earlier, the local authority’s cabinet confirmed old fruit and vegetable market site on Prescot Road in Old Swan would be made available for the building of either a new free school/and or a new primary school after complaints were raised by officials involved with the nearby St Anne (Stanley) Primary School. In his report, Cllr Logan said: “ Looking beyond 2024 – there have been several applications submitted to government to open a Free School in Liverpool (these are all from Multi-Academy Trusts as only MATs are able to apply to open new schools).
“As the local authority we are asked to comment on applications. I have made it clear that I am particularly supportive of the application from STAR Academies – because of the work they have done to engage with local community groups, and because the specifics of that application would go furthest towards resolving our specific admissions issues.”
The update will be heard during the committee meeting next Wednesday at Liverpool Town Hall.
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