Waverley families 'devastated' after losing out on places at school within walking distance
The parents of Waverley are looking for a solution
Last updated 28th Apr 2022
Parents on the Waverley estate in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, have joined together to seek answers and solutions after their children were unable to secure a place at Waverley Junior Academy for September 2022. The school, which is within walking distance for those who live on the estate, is currently a two-form entry and has been unable to accommodate the volume of applicants for the next academic year.
Children have instead been allocated places at Treeton and Catcliffe, a move that has left parents facing long walks or a drive to the schools. Parents told us here at Hits Radio South Yorkshire that Waverley's walkable school was one of the main attractions for many who had moved on to the estate with their family, or with the intention of starting one.
Parents today (25th April) gathered at a local park on Waverley to swap stories, share support and gain momentum behind their push for a solution. They told us how between 21 and 39 children who live on the estate will need to now travel to alternative schools.
Becky has a four-year-old daughter: "Our goal is that we can add another class so that those children on the waiting list can get in."
Becky has lived on the estate for six years, but her four-year-old daughter hasn't been able to get in: "We live 0.24 miles away, within walking distance. We've got friends on the estate, the other mums are my support network, my daughter has friends on here that have got in, and others that haven't. They're not going to be able to go to the same school and that's why we're here to raise awareness."
Local mum Zoe told us: "The reason we came here because we knew there was going to be a school built and it would be the perfect community."
Some parents have struggled to break the news to their children. Zoe's daughter has not gotten a place, despite attending the nursery and looking forward to staying at the school. She told us: "We got the news about a week ago, that was quite disappointing because we came on to the estate five years ago with the view that she would be able to start in the new school, stay here, be with friends and we could walk her to school and walk her back and unfortunately we got rejected so she's ended up in Treeton.
"It makes it difficult as we can't walk her, we'll have to drive her there and back."
"I'm very disappointed, quite devastated as well. I've still not told her about the news as I can't deal with how she would handle the situation as she's grown quite good friendships in the Waverley (nursery) school as well."
Father of three Waverley children, Tom, feels the school was the main draw: "The entire mantra is come here, there's a school in the middle."
With plans to expand the schools in future, parents like Tom are worried that sending their child to a different school now will lead to their younger children being schooled separately when places are more readily available. He bought on the estate 18 months ago due to the draw of the new school: "The entire mantra is come here, there's a school in the middle, there's going to be a Doctors, walk to everywhere you need to. Roll into the nursery as a feeder, you'll never have to worry about getting into the school. Now there's between 21 and 39 kids who have missed out."
As it stands his daughter Alice has been given a place at Treeton, a 45 minute walk away, and with two other children under four Tom says "it won't be realistic to commute".
Tom went as far to say that without the school the reason for them staying on the estate was diminished: "I care about the school, the entire reasoning for us as a family buying on the estate was to walk our kids school. I do agile working, so a lot of the time I get to walk Alice to school in the morning before I start work, you talk about mental health as a man in this society, well that has been amazing for me."
Parents told us they are hoping to work with the school, the council and local MPs to find a solution in time for the new school year.
A statement from Rotherham Council's Assistant Director for Education and Inclusion
Rotherham Council’s Assistant Director for Education and Inclusion, Nathan Heath, said: “The Council works hard with our partners to ensure school places are keeping pace with predicted demand. Our performance is consistently above national average and over 95% of children secured a place at a Primary or Junior School of their parents choosing this year.
“We use an established, national formula to calculate how many school places are typically required to meet demand based on birth rates, residential developments, and other relevant factors.
“However, due to extremely high demand and despite 25% more places being provided than were predicted would be required, 39 children, 21 of whom live within the Waverley catchment area, have not been accepted into Waverley Junior Academy this year. Wherever possible, they have been offered places at their second and third preference schools, all within two miles of their home.
“The developer met their obligation to open Waverley Junior Academy to accommodate 60 children but, in light of this problem, we are speaking to the developer about the potential to bring forward plans to create additional places sooner than was originally agreed. Unfortunately any additional places that can be provided won’t be in place for the new school year in September.
“It’s in all our interests to ensure children have access to a good school close to home and we’re sorry that, due to exceptional circumstances, some Waverley parents have not been offered their first preference school.”