A LOCAL CAMPAIGNER has launched a petition calling for Bristol City Council to reconsider controversial plans to redraw school admission boundaries for the new Redland Green School.

Charlotte Leslie has organised the major petition in response to the Labour-run council’s proposals to classify children from much of Westbury-on-Trym and Stoke Bishop as a “second priority” for places at the flagship new secondary school in Redland Green.

The scheme has already caused anger from parents living in those areas, who claim the council have reduced their children to “second priorities” for places at the new school and would make it virtually impossible for them to ever secure a place

The changes would mean that people living in the area of first priority for the Elmlea schools would no longer be in the area of first priority for Redland Green.

In response Charlotte Leslie, the Conservative Prospective MP for Bristol North West, has set up a petition calling on the council to drop its plans to reduce those pupils to a “second priority” status.

The petition, which will be delivered to homes affected by the change, will be presented to the council once all the signatures have been collated.

Speaking at the start of the launch, Charlotte said: “These proposals are absolutely outrageous and must be stopped. I am totally opposed to children in this area being classed as ‘second priority’.

“The council has two choices - it can either make this formal by designating local children as "second priority" or it can produce an alternative solution by looking at limiting the admissions from other parts of the city which have alternative provision.”

“North West Bristol desperately needs a good local school, but the council decided to build Redland Green school in an area which already well served by Cotham Grammar School - not where it was most needed.

“Therefore, children from Elmlea Infant and Junior school currently have very little chance of a place. The problem with Redland Green School is that it doesn't serve enough of Westbury-On-Trym and Stoke Bishop, not that it serves too much.

“If the council wants to curtail the catchment area for Redland Green this is not the right part of the city to effectively exclude.”

“There is also a wider point: A major factor in Bristol’s bottom-ranking educational performance is the number of parents who choose to send their child to a non-Bristol council run school.

“This problem is most acute in North West Bristol. It is therefore ridiculous for the council to encourage this drain of Bristol students from our schools by trying to restrict their ability to go to the Bristol school they do want to go to.

“If Bristol City Council really wants to see improvement in its education, it should be promoting school admissions policies which maximize the number of children wanting to go to its schools, not policies likely to reduce that number."

Parents with children of a primary school age, or who believe children shouldn’t be classed as “second priority” by the council can support Charlotte’s campaign in two ways – either sign and return the petition leaflet to Charlotte, 5 Westfield Park , Bristol BS6 6LT or email charlotte@charlotteleslie.com

They can also write directly to the council explaining why they oppose the change, at School Admissions, PO Box 57, Bristol BS99 7EB or by emailing school.admissions@bristol.gov.uk

Notes to editors:

Charlotte Leslie’s petition reads:
We the undersigned oppose the proposals to reduce parts of Westbury-on-Trym and Stoke Bishop to “second priority” status for admissions to Redland Green School and urge the Council to revise the admission arrangements to give parents in this area a greater likelihood of a place at the new school, not less.