'Pupils are missing out of after school activities because there isn't a dedicated school in the town', says campaigner
Residents have backed a campaign group which is fighting for a town to have its own secondary school.
Skegness, Trusthorpe and Mablethorpe Project (STaMP) is calling for a new school with dedicated SEN (Special Education Needs) provision and a sixth form to be established in Mablethorpe.
The town has been left without its own secondary school for 10 years after the previous one – Monks’ Dyke Tennyson College (previously Tennyson High School) – closed down due to financial pressures and falling pupil numbers.
The campaign group has conducted a survey among town residents to see if there was an appetite for a new school by delivering 5,000 printed surveys to homes in the area.
The results have shown that residents are behind the bid.
STaMP chairman, Pauline Palmer, has said that there are more people living in Mablethorpe and that youngsters are having to travel to Boston, Grimsby and Lincoln to attend school.
She said: “The parents are saying that it’s making the day too long for the children.
“They come home and they don’t want to do their homework because they’re too tired.
“They miss out on after school activities and if they’re ill during the school day, a lot of parents haven’t got a car or are at work, so they can’t fetch them.
“If they’ve got a dentist appointment or something, it has to be out of school hours which is difficult if they come home from school late.”
A total of 323 people took part in the survey, which also had an online form.
Residents were asked if they believed Mablethorpe should have its own secondary school. A total of 315 people agreed while eight said they disagreed.
A total of 269 people said they would consider sending their children to a secondary school in Mablethorpe, if there was one.
The group’s survey also showed that 312 people out of 323 supported the bid for dedicated SEN provision at this proposed school, while 307 out of 323 people supported its calls for a sixth form.
STaMP has sent its petition for a new school to Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) and the Department for Education. It is calling on the organisations to consider its case for a new school.
Matthew Clayton, head of education support at LCC, said: “It’s the Department for Education that would decide if a new school were needed.
“They would first want to see evidence that the projected demand for places meets their criteria.
“However, there’s currently no indication that pupil numbers in Mablethorpe will rise to that level.
“As always, we will continue to monitor the situation and keep local school place provision under review.”
The Department for Education did not respond to a request for comment.