Parents hoping to open a free school say it is "scandalous" that a government body responsible for new schools chose a site that was too small.

Education minister Lord Nash has said Harperbury Free School will not open because the Education Funding Agency secured a site that was too small.

He said he was “not convinced” St Albans District Council would give permission to build the new school on the former Harperbury Hospital site off Harper Lane.

Clive Glover, a founder and vice chair of Governors for the school, said: “It is frankly scandalous.

“It is simply astonishing to us that staff from the Government agency responsible for building and expanding schools did not know what the requirements should be.”

The Education Funding Agency confirmed it had secured the site last year, four years after the Harperbury Free School Trust was formed by a number of residents, parents and teachers.

The four acre site has now been deemed too small for a hard play and circulation area, multi-use games area and 101 car parking spaces.

In a separate letter to parents, the Department for Education (DfE) and EFA staff said there was a risk that no suitable site can ever be found for a new school in the area.

Hertfordshire County Council predict there will be an increasing deficit of secondary school places from 2017/18, peaking at a deficit of over 500 places in 2022/23.

Mr Glover added: “Even if we simply shut up shop and walk away from this now, someone else will have to step up to take it forward sometime in the near future.

"Everyone knows the school is needed and is wanted by hundreds of local families.

"Over the next few years this will become more and more obvious as the existing schools become completely full and there are no places left.

"Hertfordshire's own estimates show this will begin to happen in 2017 and we see no reason to think otherwise.”

What do you think? Comment below or email charlotte.ikonen@london.newsquest.co.uk.

 

BACKGROUND:

  • The Harperbury Free School Trust submitted an application to the DfE to open the school in January 2013. This was approved in May 2013 and the school was due to openin September 2014.
  • The school would serve families living in Shenley, London Colney, Radlett, Bricket Wood, Borehamwood and Elstree, offering 120 places per year.
  • In the application, the trust identified the large former Harperbury Hospital site near Radlett as their “preferred” site but it was made clear by the DfE that there was no guarantee that a preferred site would be the eventual site for the school if better alternativesn were identified.
  • Under the Government's Free Schools programme the proposer group is responsible for developing the school's education plans, recruiting students and staff and running the school when open. But the responsibility for finding and securing a suitable site and buildings rests with the EFA.
  • They took over from May 2013 all responsibility for negotiating on the site and also evaluating other potential alternative sites. Various studies were carried out on both the hospital and alternative sites but the hospital site came out as the optimum one each time.
  • However, the group suffered a prolonged period of delay and uncertainty for over two years when the EFA staff failed to secure the hospital site in negotiations with the owners, the Department of Health or find any alternative temporary or permanent accommodation.
  • After 17 months the site was secured but the group was told there were concerns about gaining planning permission from St Albans District Council and the opening was delayed by two years.
  • In February 2015, the planning department at St Albans District Council said the site was too small.
  • A year later, parents have been told the project has been cancelled.