Capacity still struggling to accommodate demand
Research has revealed that since Labour tops the league tables nationally when it comes took control of Trafford Council in 2018, the Council has received £29.3million from the central government to fund new school places. Local Conservatives are asking where it has gone!
A common complaint and worry for parents is the lack of school places in Trafford. Many are worried that their younger children will not get their first preference of Secondary School. This is mainly down to the huge success and excellent stewardship of Trafford's high educational standards and choice when the Conservatives were controlling the Council. Trafford regularly tops the league tables nationally when it comes to exam results and OFSTED reports.
The Lib Dems and the Labour Party have each said that they would restrict parents' rights to educational choice in Trafford by abolishing academies. Green policies are even worse. Despite what some may think of the local educational system, it sets the bar for children to do well and increases the employment opportunities in the area.
So, what is Trafford Labour doing with the money for new school places? It would appear that the Council is using £29.3m to put temporary classrooms on school playgrounds.
The Conservative shadow lead for Education, Cllr Thomas Carey, said "As a school teacher myself, I know the pressures that local school places put upon children, parents and staff. Labour's answer - Portakabins on playgrounds - is nothing more than a sticking plaster solution. What we really need is the money going towards building a brand new school for Trafford."
Bowdon councillor. Michael Whetton echoes these concerns. "The growth of Trafford is happening before our eyes, yet growth in school places is not. The Labour Council cannot claim to have been taken by surprise. We need a more consolidating approach."
Council candidate for Bowdon Dr Shengke Zhi, a father of a junior daughter who goes to a local school, believes "People move to Trafford because of the wide choice of schools. As a father of a junior daughter, I respect the right to have faith, academy and grammar schools. I will never support a policy that eradicates parental choice, putting families at a disadvantage. Something the Labour, Greens and Lib Dems are happy to do."