Controversial proposals to change school admission zones in Ingleby Barwick have been scrapped after major opposition from parents.
More than 850 people responded to a consultation on Stockton Council’s proposed school admission arrangements for 2016/17.
Changes were proposed to the allocation of places to Egglescliffe School and to primary school admission zones in Ingleby Barwick - including introducing a new Zone B.
But these will not be taken forward, said the authority today.
Instead, it is proposed the council works with Egglescliffe School to ensure the school has the capacity to accommodate in zone applicants in 2016.
Parents packed into a number of public meetings in recent months to express their concerns over the review, saying the changes would leave them without their preferred choice of schools.
They also claimed the proposals could impact on the choices children have and influence house prices.
Councillor Ann McCoy, Stockton Council’s Cabinet member for children and young people, said: “We have had a lot of interest in these proposals. We extended the consultation period to allow as many people as possible to have their say and having listened very carefully we are now proposing that these changes are not taken forward.”
“The consultation also revealed a preference for the proposed arrangements to instead be looked at in the context of the Borough-wide review planned for next year and which would come into effect from 2017/18 onwards.
“However, we also acknowledge that Egglescliffe remains a very popular school and have held early discussions with its headteacher about working together to ensure the school has the capacity to accommodate demand for places in 2016.
“We are now proposing to develop this work further and in more detail.
Stockton South’s Conservative MP James Wharton welcomed the announcement, saying: “This is great news for parents in Ingleby Barwick. These proposals were wrong from the start and the Government has confirmed that a grant given to Stockton Council only recently could be used to expand Egglescliffe, meaning these changes would not be necessary.
“A small expansion of one additional class would mean that zone changes were not needed and that is what has now been agreed.”
Louise Baldock, Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Stockton South, said: “I am delighted the council has listened to the concerns of parents of Ingleby Barwick and indeed to those who live in Carlton, Elton, Long Newton and Redmarshall.
“It is right that no changes should be made in isolation, as I said in my formal response to the consultation, any future review needs to look at the catchment area for all schools simultaneously so that no pupils are put at an immediate disadvantage.”
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