New Secondary School Planned For East Cambs

PLANNING is underway for a new secondary school set to be built in East Cambridgeshire. Officials at Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) announced this week that a thorough review of education had been carried out in the area and that plans for a new sch

PLANNING is underway for a new secondary school set to be built in East Cambridgeshire.

Officials at Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) announced this week that a thorough review of education had been carried out in the area and that plans for a new school were moving ahead.

The council estimate that around 10,500 new homes will be built in the district before 2025 and that a new school would be crucial to help cope with the increased demand.

A consultation has been launched to ask residents where they would like to see the school built, with three main options proposed to help provide for the extra 1000-15000 students:

* A new secondary school in north Ely to serve Littleport and the new developments in the north of Ely

* A new secondary school in Littleport to serve Littleport and the new developments in the north of Ely

* A new secondary school in Littleport to serve Littleport, with an expansion of Ely Community College and Witchford Village College

Results of the consultation will be considered by officers before a final decision is taken at a meeting of the county council cabinet in April.

Littleport parish councillor Paul Cox, welcomed the news: "For me it's a no brainer, he said. "Littleport has an appalling record in terms of people entering into higher education and I believe that is because there hasn't been a secondary school in Littleport for more than 20 years since the old village college was demolished.

"I think there will be plenty of support in the town for this consultation because I think people are starting to realise that this school could be crucial to the future of Littleport."

It is understood that views will also be sought on the possible expansion of Soham Village College and Bottisham Village College, where it is felt that expansion of the existing schools - rather than building new schools - will cater for the increased need in the south of the district.

A series of drop-in sessions have been organised, where anyone interested in the proposals can learn more. These are being held at Burwell Primary School on Thursday February 4, Robert Arkenstall Primary School in Haddenham on Wednesday February 10 and Littleport Primary School on Thursday February 11.

All sessions will run from 3pm till 7pm on an informal basis, with display information and open discussion, rather than presentations. Anyone attending will be invited to indicate their preferred option on a questionnaire.