You'll have to make do

Detailed plans for what will happen to each school in the district for one year from September also reveal 22 schools will operate on split sites.

The transitional arrangements are designed as a temporary measure until the full £171million programme of building work is complete. The number of temporary classrooms needed was originally thought to be about 70, but that figure has now been more than doubled to 155.

Seven schools on the list are still in negotiation with the Local Education Authority about where they will be housed in the autumn as the district's reorganisation continues.

The Telegraph & Argus today publishes the full list of transitional arrangements which, with the exception of those seven schools, describes what the education authority believes will happen at every school.

Education bosses today thanked head teachers for their hard work in putting together arrangements for the next academic year.

Councillor Susanne Rooney, executive member for education, said: "We have had detailed discussions with all heads about the transitional arrangements and we are grateful for all the hard work put in by teachers to enable us to get to this stage as early as possible.

"We are all working together to ensure that disruption for pupils is kept to a minimum. The co-operation given by heads and their teachers has been excellent and much appreciated.

"The reorganisation is a huge operation but it is the key to raising educational standards for our pupils. It involves the biggest building programme ever undertaken by any local authority in the country but we are on track to have transitional arrangements in place by September."

Some schools pencilled in to operate on split sites negotiated for more temporary classrooms so they could remain on one site, while other primary schools are to move onto middle school sites rather than stay in cramped school grounds.

Under the reorganisation, the three-tier system of first, middle and upper schools will be replaced by a two-tier school system of primary and secondary schools. All middle schools will shut this summer.

Bradford Council is set to appoint a so-called "managing partner" to oversee the massive building programme by next month.

Chris Irelan-Bunting, head of Cullingworth Primary School and a member of the steering group of the Alpha group representing primary schools in the district, said: "We are all sorted - but totally still in the dark."

His school is deemed to have sufficient accommodation to house the extra pupils from September, but plans for extra building on the site have been turned down by planning officials.

In the past, the LEA had wanted to reduce the school's intake because it did not have the hall, PE and dining facilities for more than 180 pupils.

"In September we will be 240 children. If it wasn't big enough before we will have a big problem trying to shoehorn 240 children in. We have been reassured that once the managing partner is up and running, by June we will know what our time scales for building work are and part of our problem was that we want to know how long we have got to exist in the current state."

Mo Newman, head teacher at Haworth Primary School, said the school would run a split site - with some children at the current school and some in Hartington Middle's site. "It's not ideal but providing the LEA supports it financially - and they have assured me they will, so the school doesn't get into financial difficulties through running two sites - it will work."

She added: "The lack of a managing partner has been the biggest problem. People are sitting about waiting for things to happen."

An extra teacher could be appointed to help the school to run on two sites and Mrs Newman said: "That will benefit the children, who quite frankly have had all the uncertainty to cope with."

A spokesman for Addingham Middle School, which will have one extra temporary classroom on its site, said: "The head and governors decided it would be better for the children and for the school to stay on one site rather than trying to run on two sites."

Alan Hall, head teacher at Belle Vue Girls' School in Heaton, Bradford, said a last-minute deal had been negotiated which would save the school having to operate on split sites three miles apart.

He was awaiting final confirmation, he said, but he hoped a temporary building would be constructed about 150 metres from the school's present building to house the extra pupils.

And Sylvia Davey, head teacher at Lilycroft Primary School, in Manningham, Bradford, which is on the list as still in negotiation, said final details were being worked out on how the school would run on split sites for a year, with some of the children being taught at Margaret McMillan First School's current site.

Education chiefs had hoped that Sandy Lane Primary School would spend a year on the Stoney Lee Middle School site, near Bingley, while building work was carried out, but Cottingley Village Primary is to move to the middle school site from September as originally planned. The final location of Sandy Lane school is still under discussion.

Some upper schools, which have already been taken out of the reorganisation to be put on an accelerated building programme, are expected to be completed by September to take the new larger numbers of pupils.

Richard Moore, head teacher at Queensbury Upper School and convenor for Bradford Secondary Schools Head Teachers Association, said: "The conversations we're having with contractors suggest they're very aware that the building is needed for September.

"The fact that there are no contingency arrangements suggests they're confident that that can be delivered."

He said there could be no satisfactory contingency arrangements for the school other than to have the building finished.

"If schools are not going to be ready for September there needs to be satisfactory split site accommodation.

"If the accommodation is beyond walking distance we haven't got a secondary school at all, we have got an upper school and a middle school, which raises some questions in people's minds."

Pam Reader, head teacher of Green Lane Primary School, said she was determined plans were properly in place for the new school year after last year, when a combination of problems with temporary classrooms and building work meant the school was unable to open until September 16.

The school will have one more temporary unit in September to cope with extra pupils.

David Ward, Liberal Democrat education spokesman in Bradford, said he feared the costs of the transition period would be higher than expected, "because of things like split sites and the extra temporary classrooms."

Cash boost saves tiny village school

A village school reprieved on the direct intervention of Education Secretary David Blunkett has had its future secured.

Bradford Council has been given the half a million pounds needed to bring tiny Oldfield School up to scratch, allowing it to expand to 60 pupils.

The school - the smallest in the Bradford district - was earmarked for closure under the district's schools reorganisation.

But a campaign by supporters won Mr Blunkett's backing and he rejected plans to close it on the grounds that its loss would damage the community.

Now the Council has been given the go-ahead by the Department for Education and Employment to borrow up to £500,000 needed to alter and improve the current building in the village of Oldfield so the school can admit eight pupils a year and cater for children from the ages of four to 11.

Councillor Susanne Rooney, executive member for education, said: "I am absolutely delighted with this news as it means we will now be able to confirm our plans to keep Oldfield open."

Headteacher Margaret Redpath added: "We are delighted with the progress but we don't presume anything."

And Council leader Councillor Ian Greenwood, said: "When I met with the minister Estelle Morris, she asked if we could look again at our original proposal to close the village school because she was aware of the strong feeling in favour of keeping the valuable community building open."

The proposals will be formally considered by the Council's Executive Committee on April 5.

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