Waverley Academy: Dozens rejected by ‘too small’ oversubscribed estate school near Sheffield Parkway

Officials say 27 youngsters living on the Waverley estate, a major housing development, were turned away by Waverley Primary Academy this year, because there were not enough places, along with 13 more from further afield.

It is the second year in a row that there has been a major shortfall in places at the school, leaving families having to send their children off the estate.

Rotherham Council confirmed the school had been unable to meet demand again.

Nathan Heath, assistant director, education and inclusion at Rotherham Council, said: “The council used an established national formula when calculating how many school places were likely to be required at Waverley Junior Academy to serve the Waverley development. Using that formula, the 60 places provided would be more than adequate under usual circumstances.

“However, the Waverley development is far exceeding the national formula at this present time, particularly in the Infant and pre-school cohorts where there are between 60 and 90 children living in the Waverley catchment area in the relevant age groups. This means that the academy is oversubscribed.

“In total there were 40 more applicants than there were places for, 27 of those were from the catchment and all of those have been offered places at other schools within the catchment area. Where parents are not satisfied, there is an independent appeals process available for parents.

“We understand the concerns of families regarding school places for their children and are fully committed to working with the school, the developer and DfE to support access to education this year and for the future."

Bethany McNeil, a mum-of-two living on the estate, said the council needed to sort the problem out, and the school was ‘way too small’. She has a daughter who was turned down last year, and a son currently at Waverley Academy’s nursery. She struggles to get both in on time, and is concerned what will happen when her son starts school next year, as he was not in the catchment area for her daughter’s school, potentially leaving her with children to drop off at different schools at the same time.

She said: “It is the same problem again this year. They continue to build homes, and they’re going to be filled with families with children. I feel for the parents. I don’t know who the buck stops with, but they need to sort it out.”

Waverley Junior Academy was built to provide primary school places within the Waverley development. The Academy is working through planned phases to create primary school provision at Waverley aligned to housing growth.

But Rotherham Council says the Waverley development is far exceeding the national formula at this present time particularly in the Infant and pre-school cohorts where there are between 60 and 90 children living in the Waverley catchment area in the relevant age groups. This means that the academy is oversubscribed.

The developer has already met their obligation to make provision for primary school places, aligned to the occupation of 2,000 houses. The next phase to create additional primary school places at Waverley beyond the 2,000 dwellings occupied obligation will be triggered as future thresholds are met.