Parents in ‘places blackhole’ campaign bid to open free school

Campaigners in North Leeds posted off their application to the Department for Education today to set up Roundhay Park Primary in 2017.

The Fair Access Group was formed this year after 86 parents discovered they had not been allocated a place for their children at any of their preferred primary schools.

Parents in Roundhay, Moortown and Alwoodley claimed they were living in a places blackhole with no chance of getting into local schools.

They mounted a high profile campaign which led to questions being put to David Cameron and George Osborne during their visits to Leeds on the General Election campaign trail.

After a series of talks Leeds City Council was able to secure 90 additional places at three schools meaning the majority of parents affected were offered one of the schools they had originally chosen.

However campaigners are now looking for a long term solution to avoid a repeat of this year’s events.

Lucy Clement, who played a leading role in the Fair Access Group, has now teamed up with two school governors Mark Rowlinson and Gillian Hayward to develop plans to create their own free school.

The plan is for a two form entry primary school taking on sixty pupils each year.

In its application it has had expressions of interest from 62 parents of children due to start school in 2017 and another 67 for those due to start in 2018.

Mrs Clement said: “The location is key. We want to make sure that the school is as close as possible to the West Park area of Roundhay so that it closes the blackhole and we finally have a school that prioritizes this community. It has been a phenomenal amount of work putting the bid together and now we have submitted it I think we feel proud of what we have achieved. I feel like I have not stopped since National Offer Day.”