Charlotte Leslie condemn's council decision on Redland Green




as 'tantamount to discrimination

Charlotte Leslie has condemned the decision by Bristol City Council to relegate children living in parts of the city as 'second priority' for admissions to a new school as "tantamount to discrimination".

Charlotte Leslie has been campaigning against the councils' plans to tighten the catchment area of the popular Redland Green School, relegating children living in Stoke Bishop, Westbury-on-Trym and parts of Henleaze to 'second priority'.

The local campaigner recently submitted a petition containing more than200 signatures of concerned parents to the council, together with a full report (link to word doc.) using objective criteria to show why the catchment area should include Stoke Bishop and Westbury-on-Trym.

The area around Redland Green School is already well served by Cotham School, and is to have two more state schools as Bristol Cathedral School and Colstons Girls become academies.

Charlotte said:

Currently, Bristol loses over a fifth of its pupils to schools outside the local authority. That's the worst rate in the country, outside London, which represents an enormous financial drain on the whole city. The majority of children leaving the city do so from North West Bristol.

However, Charlotte has now discovered that the council has dismissed her suggestions, and instead will keep its original, controversial admissions brief.

In response Charlotte, the Prospective Conservative MP for Bristol North West said: "This decision is short-sighted madness, and tantamount to discrimination.

"Many parents living in Westbury-on-Trym and Stoke Bishop feel they are being penalised by the council because of their post-code and that the council expects them to fork out money they don't have to send their children to private schools.

"In wards like Henbury and Avonmouth, results have actually fallen backwards since 1997– especially on children not getting five GCSEs at all. No wonder we are losing over a fifth of our children to other local authorities.

If we are to improve education as a whole across the city, we must keep Bristol children in Bristol's' state schools - that means providing a proper choice of school for parents who need it.

"At the moment, there is a massive drain of Bristol children out of our state schools into other local authorities' schools, or private schools.

"I am delighted that the future is finally beginning to look brighter for both Henbury School, which is now making great improvements, and Portway which is becoming an academy.

"One of the best ways to help these schools flourish is to stop the drain of children and funds from Bristol, and make sure that parents choose to send their child to a school they are happy with in the city.

"Once again, the council has missed an opportunity to make Bristol's education better, and left hundreds of parents feeling they have nowhere to turn."

Back to News index