Anne Main: Meeting With Minister Brings New Focus to School Placement Issue

As a consequence of her Westminster Hall debate on School Places, held on the 20th May, Anne yesterday met the Minister, Diana Johnson MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Children, Schools and Families and her advisors in the

Also present at the meeting, held to discuss the problems surrounding admissions to both primary and secondary schools, were John Harris, Head of Children, Schools and Families at Hertfordshire County Council, Richard Thake, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Children, Schools and Families at HCC, Daniel Goodwin, St Albans District Council Chief Executive, the Rt Hon Peter Lilley MP, Member of Parliament for Hitchin and Harpenden and Paul Mair, a representative of families affected by a lack of school places.

Issues regarding lack of parental choice over school places, future planning to address the ongoing problems surrounding school places in St Albans and Hertfordshire, parental dissatisfaction with the process and all associated matters were discussed at length.

Following the meeting Anne said, "It was a full and frank discussion and the Minister was extremely sympathetic to the unhappiness felt by local parents and their dissatisfaction with the system. She accepted Mr Mair's point that many parent felt they were not in a position to make an informed choice over school places and urged John Harris to redouble his efforts to improve on this. The Minister agreed to go away and discuss with her officials how flexibility over additional admissions can be used locally particularly at secondary school level, she agreed to explore the potential of my suggestion of a 'swap shop' where places could be reassigned at the request of parents, which is currently not allowable and she undertook to examine the framework surrounding allowing popular schools to expand.

I was pleased that John Harris and Daniel Goodwin were able to tell the Minister that at a primary level it appeared St Albans was at least one major step nearer to finding a new city site for a new primary school. I am hopeful that having had this meeting with the Minister there will now be renewed efforts to sort out this deeply unsatisfactory situation surrounding school placements, sadly it may not come in time for parents this year.""