Village schools near Market Drayton 'can ease places burden'

Angie Frank, head at the newly-federated Adderley and Moreton Say C of E Schools, near Market Drayton, said many of the smaller schools have places available to ease the burden on the larger ones in the town.

It comes after it emerged four new classrooms will need to be found in Market Drayton by 2026 to meet the demand for school places.

As part of Shropshire Council's development plan, which is also known as SAMDev, hundreds of new homes will be built in Market Drayton by 2026, which is expected to put extra pressure on schools to find places for children.

The Market Drayton Learning Partnership, which was set up to help schools strengthen the way they work together, said no funding is currently available to build extra accommodation, which means there is likely to be pressure on existing space within schools.

But Mrs Frank said: "Many of the smaller village schools have places available and are more than willing to ease the burden.

"We already have a number of children who travel from the town to the Adderley/Moreton Say federated schools.

"As a small school we are able to offer lower child to adult ratios, a flexible learning environment and beautiful surroundings which the children are able to benefit from."

Jenny Nixon, parent governor at Adderley School, added: "Whilst in an ideal world children would be placed within their own catchment, it is important to consider that the community of Market Drayton spreads beyond the boundary of the town.

"We have a number of outlying villages and many of the new development sites fall within the parishes of these villages. Children who live within these villages also have the right to attend their catchment schools, which is why the town and village schools need to work together to ensure that the needs of all children are met.

"Small schools in the area have spare capacity and can offer a significant alternative to the larger town schools.

"Historically the small village schools also perform well academically."

John Hargreaves, chairman of governors at Market Drayton Infant School and member of the learning partnership, ruled out a new school being built in the town.

He said the group is currently exploring with Shropshire Council what options there are.

"We are looking at the capacity within the current school buildings. The underlying principle is that children should go to school within their own catchment area," he added.