Reverse catchment when Southfield Park expands in 2009 (Epsom & Ewell Liberal Democrats)

Reverse catchment when Southfield Park expands in 2009

July 19, 2008 3:33 PM

Colin Taylor outside Southfield Park Primary School

Colin Taylor has been a Governor of Southfield Park from the very start

As a result of parental appeals, the Schools Adjudicator has announced that over-subscribed Southfield Park Primary School is to start admitting 60 pupils per year instead of 30, starting from September 2009. There will also be a formal catchment area, limited mainly to Clarendon Park and Livingstone Park, plus a few roads adjacent to the school gates. Extraordinarily, within that catchment area, pupils living FURTHEST from the school will get priority over those living nearer!

County Councillor Colin Taylor, who drew attention earlier this year to the growing shortage of primary school places in Epsom & Ewell, especially at schools on the west side of the borough, welcomed the fact that this shortage had now been recognised. "The most acute problem is that families from Clarendon Park and Livingstone Park who could walk to Southfield Park, are currently expected to drive their children right past it to get to their allocated, more distant school," he said, which is why the Adjudicator has imposed this catchment area.

However with more homes still being built at Livingstone Park, a planning application now under review for the St Ebba's site, West Park in the wings and Stamford Green also over-subscribed, additional capacity is required, though this must be carefully programmed to avoid causing damage to Epsom Primary School.

"The Adjudicator's novel requirement to give priority to those within the catchment area furthest from the school, which is binding for 2009, is specially designed to favour Clarendon Park, which is of course even further from any alternative school," said Colin. "However with other housing sites such as West Park to consider, it may be better in future to adopt a rule devised for another Surrey problem area, giving preference to those pupils living furthest from their nearest alternative school", he added. "Indeed if this could be adopted generally, it would not be necessary to have fixed catchment areas."

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