Swanage school plans stalled after landowner trust withdraw offer (From Bournemouth Echo)

Swanage school plans stalled after landowner trust withdraw offer

5:00pm Thursday 23rd August 2012 in News

PLANS for new schools in Swanage are in jeopardy after a row broke out over sharing a proposed site.

Education Swanage has been working to establish The Swanage School on the former grammar school site as Purbeck moves to two-tier schooling.

Last month the organisation revealed its designs for the secondary school and appointed a principal.

But shortly afterwards, landowner Welfare Dwellings Trust withdrew its offer of the site.

The move led to Swanage Town Council offering Education Swanage the chance to look at the lower grammar school field, next to where St Mary’s RC School is due to build a new primary school.

But the vice-chairman of governors at St Mary’s, Mike Baker, said that they would not want to share the site, due to worries over young children mixing with 15 and 16-year-olds.

But Education Swanage said the only shared part of the site would be playing fields and kitchens – and they would not be used by both schools at the same time.

Chairman of governors Paul Angel added: “They’ve made their position very clear, but all we can do is clarify our position and there are other sites we’re looking at as well.”