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An £82 million fund has been made available in Hertfordshire
to help ease the school places crisis, caused by a rising number of children in
the county.

Work has already started in Rickmansworth, where a new
secondary school is needed, but now Hertfordshire County Council has agreed the
funding as part of the 2010/11 budget along with an associated three-year
capital programme for other parts of the county where pupil numbers are
increasing. 

Richard Thake, executive member for education and skills, said:  “There
has been an unexpectedly sharp rise in the demand for primary places in a
number of communities and a shortage of secondary places in a few places. That’s
why, despite current financial conditions, we have prioritised capital spending
for this programme.”

Projections for the rising number of primary and secondary places needed across
Hertfordshire are set out in a comprehensive report, Meeting the Demand for
School Places, published recently by the
council.

Thake added: “The county council has already published its analysis of the
projected demand for places and is developing specific proposals to respond to
that demand.  Now the money has been secured, we can progress detailed
plans for consultation.

“Where existing schools have the site capacity for
expansion, this is relatively straightforward.  However, where entirely
new schools are needed, it can be difficult to acquire sites of suitable size
and in the right location.  Even then there can be town planning
obstacles, especially if the land is in the green belt or not designated for educational
use,” the executive member went on to say.