Secondary School Provision: Lyde Green

Opened the debate

In his speech, Chris Skidmore highlighted the significant growth in housing developments within the Lyde Green community over the past decade. He mentioned successful projects such as King’s Oak Academy primary school and a new special school for Kingswood. Skidmore expressed support for constructing a co-located primary and secondary school in Lyde Green to cater to the growing demand, particularly with 2,500 houses expected to be built there. The proposal includes a 420-place primary school and a 900-place secondary school, both planned to open by September 2022. Skidmore emphasised that these developments are essential for meeting local demographic needs and ensuring all children have access to quality education.

Government Response

Minister Nick Gibb acknowledged the significant growth in Lyde Green, noting that while there is currently an open primary school, no secondary school exists. He highlighted improvements in educational standards since 2010, with 86% of schools now graded as good or outstanding by Ofsted. Additionally, funding for education has been increasing, with £7.1 billion added to the budget in 2022-23 compared to 2019-20. Gibb stated that due to demographic changes, there is an increased need for secondary school places in Lyde Green from 2022 onwards. He mentioned the successful free schools programme and noted that a bid for a secondary school in Lyde Green was shortlisted and progressing through national assessment processes, despite delays caused by the pandemic. Gibb assured the lead MP that the government recognises the need for more places and will work closely with local authorities to address this requirement.