A contentious plan to build a new £50 million secondary school in Walsall has ignited a political firestorm, with local MP Valerie Vaz branding the proposed location unsuitable and questioning the entire selection process.
Location Controversy and Accessibility Concerns
The Department for Education approved the development of a new secondary school for Walsall back in 2017, with the Windsor Academy Trust chosen to deliver the project. The preferred site is currently Reedswood Park, a former golf course, which would provide over a thousand secondary and sixth form places.
However, Walsall and Bloxwich MP Valerie Vaz has strongly criticised this choice, stating the school is being built 'in the wrong place'. She highlighted significant accessibility problems with the Reedswood Park location and revealed that an appraisal review had identified nine alternative sites across Walsall that could be considered.
One such alternative is the former Sneyd Comprehensive School on Vernon Way, though Walsall Council has already earmarked this site for housing development.
'Smacks of the covid VIP lane'
Speaking in Westminster, Ms Vaz raised serious concerns about the governance of the project. She questioned the transparency of a 'priority education investment area board' established in 2022, asking who selected its members and to whom they were accountable.
'What is even worse,' Ms Vaz stated, 'is that a member of the trust tasked with delivering the school was a member of the now-disbanded board. I am sure you will agree, Sir John, that this smacks of the covid VIP lane.'
The MP directly challenged the fundamental need for the school, asking: 'Is it a new school or a white elephant?' She pointed out that the project was originally intended for the Blakenall area before being moved to Reedswood Park, and noted that many local trusts and schools have expressed their ability to expand existing places if required.
Questions Over Need and Spending
Ms Vaz has consistently questioned whether there is genuine demand for a new secondary school in the area. 'Based on the numbers, there does not appear to be,' she asserted, adding that there will likely be a surplus of school places by the time the £50 million facility is completed.
'If other schools in the area say there is no need for a secondary school, and if the figures do not show a need for one—certainly not in the proposed area, which is wholly unsuitable—why is an arm's length body not listening to headteachers, governors or me, as the area's elected representative?' she asked.
The MP challenged whether it was appropriate for officials and arm's length bodies to drive the project against government policy and then request the Education Secretary's approval. She demanded transparency, particularly when 'an eye-watering £50 million is being spent on one school while other schools are crying out for funding.'
The Windsor Academy Trust maintained that their application process has been conducted 'in strict compliance with all Department for Education guidance' since the project's initial stages in 2017.
The Department for Education declined to comment on individual schools, while Walsall Council acknowledged they are working with the DfE to manage long-term demand for school places. A council spokesperson noted that if approved, the free school would bring approximately £45 million of central government funding into Walsall, which the council would welcome to support local education.
