House-building target prompts concerns over school places

18,000 homes to be created over 20 years

- Phil Corrigan Local Democracy Reporter

CONCERNS have been raised over whether Stoke-on-Trent will have enough schools if plans for thousands of new homes go ahead.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is currently responsible for finding school places for 38,000 statutory-age children, from reception to year 11, with demand for primary places currently falling due to the declining birth rate.

But scrutiny committee members have raised concerns over the potential impact of Stoke-on-Trent’s local plan which aims to deliver more than 18,000 homes over 20 years to meet Government house-building targets.

Officials say that on average 100 new homes will create demand for three extra school places per year group, meaning 18,000 homes would require the equivalent of several new schools across the city.