PARENTS of schoolchildren who missed out on a place at a preferred school have called on the council to use available funds to build extra classrooms.

The pressure group called the Misplaced 38 made the request after The Argus revealed an unallocated £15 million in the council education budget will be split between existing schools.

Council leader Warren Morgan made the statement in an interview published in Monday’s newspaper.

The Government money was provided when an additional secondary school was considered necessary, although the council has said it was not given specifically for that project.

Parent Clair Letton-Marshall said: “Why wait? Do it now.”

Her 11-year-old daughter Ava faces an hour-long journey to Hove Park after missing out on a place at Varndean or Dorothy Stringer, both of which are within walking distance of her home.

Clair added: “Stringer say they need just two extra classrooms.

“If there’s all that money, why don’t they make some of it available as soon as possible and then most of these kids would have a school place. For Ava it would mean she could go to school with her friends, and wouldn’t have to give up her extra-curricular activities to fit in an hour’s journey every morning and every night.”

Misplaced 38 responded to The Argus’s story by stating that if cash for the new school is available to spend, they request that Brighton and Hove City Council’s policy, resources and growth committee release it for improvements identified by Dorothy Stringer and Varndean School to be made by September so the “#misplaced38 children can go to their community schools”.

A petition started by the group already had 1,400 signatures after just five days.

A spokesman said: “Warren Morgan’s announcement offers real hope for our children. We look forward to Councillor Morgan announcing that he and his colleagues meeting this Thursday will explore and approve measures which will allow Dorothy Stringer and Varndean to welcome the misplaced 38 children back to the heart of their community.”

The petition quotes minutes of a Dorothy Stringer Governors’ meeting: “To accommodate an increase in student numbers by 30, Dorothy Stringer School would need two temporary classrooms, cupboard space and a catering pod.”

The petition says such changes would be “easily achieved by September 2018 if there was sufficient will and leadership from the council.”

Brighton and Hove City Council turned down the group’s demand. But a glimmer of hope emerged for parents when Conservative councillors proposed an “immediate” transfer of funds, to provide space for the pupils at their preferred school.

Conservative group leader Councillor Tony Janio said: “We’re incensed that even when the council gets government money this administration just sits on it.”

He said he would move an amendment at Thursday’s meeting of the policy resources and growth committee, requesting the schools committee meet “urgently” to allocate some of the £15 million to Dorothy Stringer “immediately” to meet the needs of the Misplaced 38 in the coming school year.

COUNCIL STATEMENT IN FULL

In response to the consultation on changes to admission arrangements from September 2019 both Dorothy Stringer and Varndean schools offered to provide additional places with support from the council on a temporary basis in 2019 and 2020. 

Subsequently Varndean School were able to take additional pupils in 2018 as a result of internal changes not requiring works from the council.

Richard Bradford, headteacher of Dorothy Stringer School, said: "Both schools want to support our community and have offered to take more students in future years. Varndean School have been able to make internal modifications this year to allow them to admit additional pupils in September 2018.

“Dorothy Stringer cannot take more students this September without more accommodation being made available by the council.

"We need extra teaching spaces and added capacity to general areas, especially catering facilities, which cannot be delivered without the necessary design works, permissions and construction which are planned for delivery by September 2019. 

“Increasing student numbers takes significant planning to ensure we do not have a detrimental effect on the education of our students."

Pinaki Ghoshal, the council’s executive director for families, children and learning, said, "Since January plans are being developed to meet the arrangements agreed for September 2019.

"It is not possible to bring these forward for those families who did not receive a place at their catchment school for this September.

“Any changes to the school site must be consulted upon with the local community and delivered with minimal disruption to the education of the pupils already attending the school.

"It is not as straight forward as locating a temporary building on the school grounds.

“Parents who did not receive a place at their preferred school can be placed in the re-allocation pool and appeal to an independent appeal panel.

“The council has never guaranteed families a place at a catchment area school.”