Have your say on primary school provision for Bedminster and Southville

If you're one of the Bedminster families who have been affected by the primary schools places shortage this year, or if you have young children, you might like to take part in a consultation now underway by Bristol City Council.

The council is seeking feedback on its School Organisation Strategy, its plan for dealing with demand for school places over the next four years.

There has been a 15 per cent rise in the number of children in reception classes at Bristol's schools during the last three years. It is expected that there will be a shortfall of at least 3,000 primary school places by 2015 – and this could increase to 5,300 if planned housing developments go ahead.

The council has said that this increased demand in primary school places is not unique to Bristol although the rise has been particularly rapid here. It believes the increase is driven by birth rates, people moving to Bristol from elsewhere in the UK and abroad, and the recession causing more parents to choose state education for their children.

Bristol City Council's Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Councillor Clare Campion-Smith, said: "We have been working very closely with schools to plan how we are going to meet the need for significant numbers of new primary school places. 

"Given the size of the task and the restrictions of many school sites, we are faced with a real challenge. Comments from residents across the city will help inform this work.

"It is also very important that we plan for the medium to long term, ensuring that the right number of places and appropriate facilities are in place for children as they move through primary school and on to secondary school. 

"This strategy considers the need for school places at all levels and will be regularly updated to take into account future population changes."

Currently, there is a surplus of secondary school places but a shortfall of Year 7 places is expected by 2017. 

Bristol City Council will be spending more than £5 million to fund building work over the summer to create an additional 479 places in time for this September.

Have your say

To read and comment on the council's School Organisation Strategy, visit the AskBristol site.

If you have school aged children or are planning to start a family in the next few years, the council is also interested in learning what factors would influence your choice of school. To take part in the survey, click here.