Lancing academy could be expanded amid secondary school placement chaos

West Sussex County Council said ‘funding for feasibility’ to ‘increase the intake’ at The Sir Robert Woodard Academy to 300 places has been approved.

“A project manager has been allocated to follow this through,” a council spokesperson said.

"Whilst the capital works will need to be agreed and the timescale for completing any permanent work have yet to be confirmed, should this not be completed by September 2024, temporary accommodation is planned to be provided to enable an additional 60 pupils to be allocated to Sir Robert Woodward from 2024.”

The academy, in Upper Boundstone Lane, said it is ‘cooperating fully’ with the council’s feasibility study.

A spokesperson added: “[This] will explore whether or not our site is suitable for expansion and any future capital works will be based on the findings of that study

"We are proud to now be one of the most sought after schools in the area but would be alert to the negative effects of overcrowding, whether that be caused by temporary or permanent buildings, on our existing staff and students as well as any extra students who may be joining us.”

The news comes as a group of parents are reeling after dozens of Shoreham primary pupils were not offered a place at any of their three preferred schools.

Jade Sowa is one of the ‘angry, shocked and upset’ parents demanding West Sussex County Council reverses the decision to send 28 children from Swiss Gardens Primary School, in Shoreham, to St Andrew’s CE High School, in Worthing. St Andrew’s is miles away from any of the pupils’ homes and was rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted during an inspection last April.

Around 200 people attend a public meeting at The Shoreham Centre last Thursday evening (March 16), including representatives from all Adur primaries and year groups. More than 2,300 people have now signed a petition. Click here to read more.

Adur Council’s Labour Group called on the county council to provide funding so that temporary classrooms can be installed to allow more children to go to a secondary school in their local area.

The group says it is deeply disappointing that, from Bognor to Shoreham, 189 families with children have not been offered any of their three choices of secondary school.

A spokesperson said: “The group welcomes the work being done by the schools and the West Sussex County Council admissions team to handle the oversubscription issue.

"St Andrews School in Worthing, which will be accepting a number of pupils from Shoreham, are doing guided tours for parents and pupils. This will allow them to see what a positive and nurturing environment the school offers.”

The labour group said the problem is a ‘symptom of government underfunding’ of the school system since 2010 and a ‘failure of planning’.

The group welcomed a statement by WSCC representatives that they will work to invest in Sir Robert Woodard Academy in Lancing to allow an expansion to 300 youngsters in each year. They said this would benefit pupils seeking a space in Year 7 for September 2024.

"This work was due to take place for 2023 and WSCC failed to fund, we are therefore seeking answers,” the group spokesperson said. “2024 is too late to help parents and children this year.

"Adur Labour Group request that Section 106 infrastructure money, financial contributions from developers, must be secured immediately from the county council’s schools pot to install temporary classrooms for Sir Robert Woodard Academy for the coming academic year, 23/24 year.”

Meanwhile, East Worthing and Shoreham MP Tim Loughton – who attended the meeting earlier this month – said he is working with the leader of the county council to ‘come up with a longer-term solution’ to the shortage of secondary school places in Adur.

He said this was ‘not the case five years ago’ but is ‘certainly going to get worse’, due to the new-builds bringing new families to Shoreham and Lancing.

He said: “There were tentative plans to expand SWRA and/or Shoreham Academy perhaps on their other site in Middle Road which housed the Kings Manor Middle School until the 1990’s, and these need to be dusted down and revisited.”

Parent Jade Sowa said the announcement by the county council it a ‘start, at least’.

She added: “It’s sign they will be looking at expanding the pan at Woodard at least in time for the 2024 cohort. But there’s no solution and it’s too late for 2023 cohort.”

At the meeting, the parents demonstrated a list of demands and expectations of the county council about the ‘lack of sufficient local secondary places in the district’.

They are keen to receive an apology about how the situation has been handled, as well as accountability from ‘one named individual within the elected representative side’.

A joint statement read: “We want answers from the council - truthful and respectful answers. We want the council to be accountable. They are public servants, we pay for their wages.

“We want an apology. We want solutions, for our year six children. Why can’t they put up temporary buildings at our catchment schools? We know there is funding they’re sitting on.

“We don’t want this to happen again. I don’t want to be sitting here next year listening to our year five parents give the same speech.”

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