"Relocation of School for Children with Learning Difficulties is a Wrong Move," .

3.04.00pm GMT Mon 12th Feb 2007

Whilst welcoming the intention of Northamptonshire County Council to provide a new special school for children with learning disabilities to replace the present Greenfields Special School in Harborough Road, Kingsthorpe, local Liberal Democrat Councillors, John Yates (Boughton Green) and Sally Beardsworth (Kingsthorpe) believe that it is being built in the wrong place.

"Greenfields Special School has been for many years very much a part of the Kingsthorpe local community," says Councillor Sally Beardsworth. "The pupils and staff are regularly seen using the shops and all the facilities of Kingsthorpe High Street. The proposed location to the site of the Woodvale Primary School in Goldings is in a completely inappropriate position," she added. "There are only a couple of shops there and no facilities such as those offered in Kingsthorpe High Street."

Lib Dem Education Spokesman, Cllr. John Yates said: "The ideal solution is available at hand. The new school should be built in Kingsthorpe on the redundant Kingsthorpe Middle School site which would save the extra transport to the other side of Northampton, and would allow the students to remain part of the local community, and to be able to continue to use the excellent facilities that Kingsthorpe offers.

The present Greenfields Special School caters for children with profound multiple learning difficulties and autism and is situated in a building which can no longer satisfactorily serve the 85 students needs.

A replacement building is required, and it is proposed by NCC to build a new centre on the present Woodvale Primary site in Goldings. Lib Dems believe that the Kingsthorpe Middle site is a better alternative, and are concerned that the council has gone for a cheaper option by relocating at Goldings.*

( * The Kingsthorpe Middle School Site could have the potential of raising more income if sold of for housing, rather than the Goldings site.)