A School for Grove - the various options explained

12.02.46pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 29th Jun 2007

Local Councillor for Grove & Wantage, Zoé Patrick accused the Conservatives of making education a political football in the Grove and Wantage Herald this week and trying to confuse people about the options for a school in Grove. She said:

"It seems that local Conservatives wish to turn the future of secondary education in Grove and Wantage into a political football.

"Let us be clear about the situation. There were three options considered by the County Council cabinet, which all led to a school site in Grove. Option A was based on two separate schools in Wantage and Grove for 1,250 pupils, Option B was for one school on two sites with a total of 2,500 pupils and Option C was for a 600 place (11-16) school for Grove.

"Local communities should have the biggest say, not a cabinet of politicians sitting in Oxford. In the Council's own consultation, Option C was the least popular from the 215 responses. It was not even the preferred option in the independent survey of parents, pupils and the business community. The selection of Option C also flies in the face of the recommendations made by both Wantage Town Council and Grove Parish Council.

"It is vital that the educational merits of each option are considered and that we aim for excellence and flexibility for both the academic and vocational routes. This was not even discussed at the cabinet meeting and any questions went unanswered! With the new 14-19 diplomas on the horizon, it is not at all clear how a small school limited to an upper age of 16 and without any sixth form provision fits into this picture.

"Option C may well be the cheapest and less challenging, but when will it deliver any of the community facilities and infrastructure badly needed in Grove? The situation with developer funding is certainly unclear and the other two options would at least have had the possibility of generating capital receipts through reorganisation.

"Surely, the priority should be to strive for an excellent education for future generations and not accept anything less."