Macclesfield schools under pressure

Above: Fallibroome Academy

Anyone with half-an-ounce of sense could see it coming.

When the government introduced VAT at 20% on private education, it was inevitable that towns with excellent state schools would feel the pressure.

With Macclesfield having four excellent secondary schools and the economy biting the pockets of even the most affluent it was inevitable.

Add to this the volume of new houses being built over the last few years and the outcome was predictable.

At least one school in Macclesfield, Tytherington, is operating well above its 1,250 capacity with 1,450 pupils – and with the September intake that must increase.

Save Macclesfield Green Belt has asked Cheshire East Council for figures as members feel it is relevant for potential objections to a planning application for 200 more homes on fields off Prestbury Road.

Bear in mind planning permission has already been granted for a further 2,445, as yet unbuilt, homes in the town.

The average family size in the UK currently stands at 2.36 which could mean demand from an extra 5,770 children. Despite the fact that the government and Cheshire East has its finger on the birthrate, the number of new houses being built and the move from private to state education was inevitable, there would appear to have been no effort to predict the numbers.

Save Macclesfield Green Belt member Richard Slater, said: “In order that the public can make an informed decision as to whether this application is a good idea or a bad idea, we need to know the current position of many items in the area such as medical facilities and education.

“I have written to the (council’s) education department to find the true extent of the crisis in education following all the recent greenbelt developments.“

The group asked for available school places versus demand for key stages one to four as well as how many, if any, pupils have to go to out of area schools.

This was requested on February 6, so far members have not received an answer. Offers of secondary school places for the 2025 intake was made this week.

Tytherington School headteacher, Manny Botwe outlined figures at his school that suggest it is operating at 16 per cent above capacity. He said: “As a head place planning is really important and for the local authority to communicate with schools as soon as possible with numbers of houses to be built and what the yield of children will be. Then we can make sure we are adequately prepared.

“If it lands at the relatively last minute that is when problems come.

“Schools in Macclesfield are really good but with that comes pressure on places, I don’t know numbers but my take is other Macclesfield schools will be full.”

In 2020 Cheshire East Council anticipated there being a shortage of 392 places by 2024 but we’re guessing no-one thought to right that down.

According to Cheshire East’s website Macclesfield’s four secondaries (excluding private or independent schools) of Tytherington, Macclesfield Academy, All Hallows and Fallibroome Academy had offered a total of 810 admission places.