Town in 'dire need' of secondary school places

A Greater Manchester town is in "dire need" of a new secondary school to create more places for pupils, an MP says.

Paul Waugh said children have to travel an hour on two buses to get to school from Littleborough.

He has now written to the government's schools minister Catherine McKinnell to try and unblock delays in building a new school.

Rochdale Council have said there will be an expected shortfall of 26 places for Year 7 pupils in 2026, rising to 80 places in 2027.

Councillors claim up to 100 pupils have had to travel outside the local area for a school with Mr Waugh adding that the lack of places for children has now "become unmanageable".

The Department for Education granted permission for the borough to have two new secondary schools in 2019, with one opening in 2021.

However the proposed school for Littleborough was delayed due to costs and access and the building was paused by the last government but then later un-paused.

But the building work has still not started.

Mr Waugh said that "Rochdale is in dire need of more school places" and has called for government action "as a matter of urgency to bring this project back on track".

Councillor Tom Besford said that every year he gets "heartbreaking, and at times desperate, phone calls from parents who have been told that their child must travel to school miles from home".

He added that "nothing can be more important than the education and wellbeing of our children".

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