Council bosses call for Telford children to be given priority for borough school places.

Political leaders on Telford & Wrekin Council have written to the Secretary of State for Education to ask for local children to be given preference when school places are being allocated.

It will particularly affect Burton Borough School in Newport.

Government guidelines are that school places must be given priority to children living within three miles.

If a school has to apply over-subscription criteria, places first go to siblings of pupils out of catchment and then to children out of catchment based on distance.

At Burton Borough School, this means that some children who live in Staffordshire are actually closer than those living in Telford & Wrekin, and paying council tax in the borough.

Council leader and leader of the Labour group Councillor Shaun Davies, Conservative group leader Councillor Andrew Eade and Liberal Democrat and Independent group leader Councillor Bill Tomlinson have joined forces to lobby Justine Greening MP.

The letter explains that a number of large employers are planning to relocate to Telford and Wrekin, which is resulting in the council having to plan where new schools may be needed to meet future demand.

The government’s current position on school admissions states that pupils should not be discriminated against for admissions to school, even if they do not live within its local authority.

On this the council letter says: “We feel strongly that the current position on school admissions….makes it very difficult for local authorities to plan to use their resources in an efficient manner.”

It adds: “There is a strong feeling across the borough that, in the event of a school having to apply their over subscription criteria, then preference should be given in the allocation of places to those living in Telford and Wrekin rather than to children living in other local authority areas.

“This proposal has the support of all political groups within Telford and Wrekin and we would therefore formally request that you consider whether the regulations should be revisited and amended to reflect the position of allowing local Council Tax payers to have priority for their local schools.”