KCC CHALLENGED TO PAY FOR MORE TEACHERS

11.10.33am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 25th Jul 2005

LEA has a moral responsibility

Margaret Featherstone, Liberal Democrat KCC Member for Maidstone North East, has called for KCC to pay for additional teaching staff for East Borough School. As a result of the LEA's mistakes their reception classes in September will have to take in more children than 30 permitted by law.

Supported by Margaret, 4 families from Vinters Park Estate challenged the LEA's decision to refuse their children a place at East Borough, their nearest school. At the hearing by an appeal panel KCC had to admit errors in measuring home to school distances. Consequently the panel ruled that all 4 children should be offered places.

Margaret Featherstone said: "This is the second year in succession that the LEA has had to admit to mistakes in their handling of admissions to East Borough School. Therefore the school will again have 2 over sized reception classes in September."

"In this situation I consider that the LEA has a moral responsibility to support East Borough School, its Governors and Headteacher by paying for the additional teaching staff considered necessary by the law. I have written to the Cabinet Member responsible for school organisation and await his considered response."

'County Measurements Don't Add Up!' is the story of the mishandling of admissions at East Borough School in 2004. It is available in the news archive - 'September 2004'.