Academy sites ‘not big enough for PE’

EXISTING high school playing fields will be turned into centres of excellence for sport when replacement academies are built.

The council will work with national organisations such as the Football Association and the Lawn Tennis Association to set up the centres.

The news comes as Oldham Campaign Against Academies produced diagrams comparing the sizes of four existing school sites with those of the two academies which will replace them in Waterhead and Hollinwood.

Stuart Paulley, the organisation’s press officer, said: “The illustrations show that neither of the new sites would be able to accommodate games provision for the existing schools, let alone academies containing double the number of pupils.”

However, Councillor Kay Knox, cabinet member for children young people and families, said Partnership for Schools (responsible for delivering the government’s secondary school renewal programme) had passed the sites as being big enough for academies.

They would have enough land for PE, she said, while existing school playing fields would not be sold but turned into centres of excellence to provide additional sports facilities.

Councillor Knox explained that these would be better facilities and, citing Counthill as an example, she added: “We have got three rugby pitches at Counthill but only one can be used during the winter because the other two are waterlogged and are unplayable.

“Yes, they have got the space but they are not playable.”

Oldham wants to replace five schools with three academies run by sponsors under £230 million Building Schools for the Future proposals to transform secondary education.

Breeze Hill and Counthill would be replaced by an academy at Orb Mill, Waterhead, and Kaskenmoor and South Chadderton by one at Brook Mill, Hollinwood.

A third, the replacement for Grange, would be built at the current Our Lady’s site, Royton.

Councillor Knox said that some of the existing sites were bigger, but stressed that the government would not give them the same funding to build academies there rather than on new sites.

“It just isn’t an option, we can’t bring two schools together (on an existing site). It has to be on a neutral site,” said Councillor Knox.

Alun Francis, service director for children, young people and families, added: “All of the proposed sites for new schools have been assessed in terms of their suitability.

“While the sites of the predecessor schools are in some cases larger, this does not mean that the proposed new sites are unsuitable.

“We can also confirm the sites are sufficiently large for a school and for on-site sports facilities.

“On one of the sites it is proposed that there will be additional playing field space off-site, but this space is not required to deliver the curriculum.”