AM I the only person to question the totally unnecessary demolition of Stockton Heath school on the basis that we are running out of children in Stockton Heath?
Where are these children going to come from because they certainly don't live in the village?
It is obvious to all that Stockton Heath has an ageing population with fewer children born here. Why extend the number of school places when we don't have enough children already?
Many children at the school are already travelling in from Latchford, contributing to the daily gridlock in the village.
For council officers to extend the numbers they will have to depend on children travelling from outside Stockton Heath. Whatever happened to the council's walk-to-school initiative?
If this money-wasting exercise goes ahead, we will have what will turn into years of serious disruption for the children as well as permanent traffic congestion in our already gridlocked village.
How peculiar that this school will only have the capacity for extended numbers if it is demolished and rebuilt. Especially when you consider that schools throughout the country are being closed down because of the decline in the birth rate.
Stockton Heath must be the only village in Britain to extend its school roll despite diminishing numbers of local children.
Makes you wonder whose best interests are at heart here - the gullible councillors, many of whom don't even live in the village, or the power-mad careerist education bosses who probably don't live here either!
J BOOTH Stockton Heath
