Calderdale Local Plan: Trinity refusing to withdraw bid for new high school in Brighouse despite Government saying it's not needed

As revealed by the Courier earlier today, the Department for Education (DfE) has told the council to scrap the plans for the new secondary school, which was aimed at providing places for the children moving into thousands of new homes proposed as part of the Calderdale Local Plan.

The Government says there is sufficient capacity in existing schools, and it does not think a new secondary is required.

But Trinity MAT – which planned to create the school – insists there will be a need.

Michael Gosling, CEO of Trinity Multi-Academy Trust (MAT), said: “I can confirm that Trinity Trust has recently been asked by the DfE to withdraw its application for the secondary free school in the Brighouse area, named Trinity Academy Brighouse.

"The request was made because the DfE did not consider there to be sufficient demand in the area to warrant the building of a new secondary school.

"After receiving the request, the trust consulted with other stakeholders in this bid, particularly Calderdale Local Authority.

"Following those discussions, both the trust and the local authority are of the opinion that there remains significant demand for secondary school places in the area.

"As a Wave 14 successful free school, Trinity Academy Brighouse benefited from being able to include planned housing developments in its application (this has not been the case in previous free school waves); as such, the proposed school and the Local Plan are fundamentally connected.

"The latter is still on course and will result in thousands of new homes, therefore the former is crucial to the educational landscape of the local community.

“The current situation is that the Board of Directors of Trinity Trust met recently and discussed the DfE’s request. Whilst the trust continues to work with the DfE to address any concerns it may have regarding sufficient basic need, at this point it believes there is a need for Trinity Academy Brighouse and has therefore refused to withdraw its application.”

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services Councillor Adam Wilkinson said the the council has been asked by the Levelling Up department of the Government to prove there will be sufficient infrastructure in place for the huge number of homes planned – but has been told by a different department (DfE) that a new school is not needed.

His concerns include a rise in students having to travel across the borough to get to and from school every day and, with a third of students at Rastrick High School coming from Kirklees, children in the neighbouring authority being displaced.

He has written to the DfE and asked for a meeting with them and Kirklees Council to discuss the situation.

The Local Plan proposes thousands of new homes, mostly in Brighouse, Clifton, Greetland, Hipperholme, Northowram and Shelf.

Councillor George Robinson, ward member for Hipperholme and Lightcliffe, said: “We absolutely need a new school.

"The council and Government need to get together and agree how to take this forward as quickly as possible because time is ticking.”