Extra funding could ease BS3 primary school places crisis

In what will hopefully prove to be good news for the greater Bedminster area, the Government has today announced that Bristol City Council will receive £18.3 million to create new primary school places in the city.

In a statement on its website the council said: "It is a step in the right direction and shows the government recognises the scale of the challenge being faced in Bristol. 

"We are grateful for the support of schools, parents' groups and all four local MPs, who have worked together to make Bristol's case for additional funding to government."

Across the city, the council anticipates that between 3,000 and 5,000 extra primary school places will be needed by 2015.

Last month, council representatives met with Schools Minister Nick Gibb to explain the impact of a shortage of primary school places on families in the city.

Many of the children living in BS3 who were due to start primary school this September were allocated places at schools far outside their local communities, with some being expected to travel over four miles each day.

Two local primary schools, South Street and Ashton Gate, agreed to create a 'bulge' Reception class for this academic year, but for reasons of available space this could be only a one-off solution.

It is anticipated that there will be a shortage of 90 places in BS3 for the next academic year if nothing is done about the situation.

The South Bristol Schools Campaign – a community-led group raising awareness of the lack of local primary school places for children living in the Bedminster/BS3 area – will meet with Craig Bolt, the council's Service Director for Education Strategy and Targeted Support, on 22 November 2011 to discuss this year's primary school places. 

Please email the Campaign any questions you would like put to Mr Bolt by 15 November 2011 at southbristolsc@gmail.com.  You can visit the Campaign's website here.

It is an indication of the size of the problem that Bristol received the largest allocation of additional funding to a local authority area outside London.

Locally, the challenge now will be making sure that Bedminster's children receive their fair share of that additional funding.