"New School for Children with Learning Difficulties will be in the wrong place" say the Liberal Democrats.

10.18.48am GMT Tue 13th Mar 2007

Speaking at a Cabinet Meeting of Northamptonshire County Council on the Capital Programme, Cllr. John Yates (Lib Dem Education Spokesman) again told the ruling Conservative party that the site that they have chosen to relocate Greenfields Special School to is in the wrong place.

Whilst welcoming the intention to replace the existing school with new buildings 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.

"We believe that the Council has put land values before the children's learning values. 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 the facilities of Kingsthorpe. There are no similar facilities close to the new site in Goldings."

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 changing all the transport arrangements, 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.