Is The Fight For School Reception Places Over?

Herts County Council have shelved their plans for an additional 30-pupil reception class at Sauncey Wood Primary School and instead The Grove Infant School in Southdown will admit an additional 15 reception children to accommodate the shortfall in school places for four to five year old children in Harpenden. So, does this mean that the fight for a reception place is over for those who didn’t get one of their preferred schools?

There were a number of Harpenden families who did not get one of their three preferred schools when places were awarded earlier in the year and emotions have run high as parents have found themselves in the stressful position of having to go through the ‘continued interest’ process, which enables them to swap their initial allocation with another of their preference. As this process has unfolded it appears that fewer school places were needed than originally requested, suggesting that parents with children destined for public schools may have taken up state school places.

The intake of the additional 15 reception children will take The Grove’s three reception classes to a class size of 30, rather than their existing 25 but the council have been quick to point out that The Grove has the additional classroom space to take the extra numbers and that their new class size makes good economic and organisational sense.

The additional reception places at The Grove will be allocated through the usual continued interest process. Any child who has already accepted a place at Sauncey Wood will not be affected by the restructure.

Executive Member for Education and Skills Richard Thake thanked both primary schools for their support: "I would like to thank the headteachers and boards of governors at both Sauncey Wood and The Grove Infant School, who have done all they can to assist us to place Harpenden primary school pupils in local community schools."

Are you a parent of child on the continued interest list? And if so, are you happy with the Council’s solution to the shortfall in places?

Have parents who have planned to send their child to a public school all along put you through unnecessary stress and wasted the council’s school planner’s time too?

Were you awarded The Grove as one of your preferred schools? If so, how do you feel about the larger proposed class sizes?

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