More school places are needed in the Shipley constituency to ensure parents can send their children to a school of their choice, an MP has said.
Shipley MP Philip Davies called on newly appointed Education Secretary Justine Greening to act to ensure choice becomes a reality not a “distant dream”.
He said: “More and more parents in many parts of my constituency are finding it difficult to get their child into the school of their choice. Just to give one example there is a desperate need for more secondary school places in Wharfedale. Government needs to looks at the need for school places in the Shipley constituency and make sure that my parents can get their children into the school of their choice, because at the moment for many of them that is a distant dream.”
Mr Davies made the comments in the Commons during an urgent statement on school funding.
Education Secretary Justine Greening said: “I think this an incredibly important and fundamental issue and I can simply say I am well aware of the need to make sure that alongside all the other changes rippling through the education system, that fundamentally we have enough places for the children of our country. But that we also have enough teachers to be in those classrooms teaching them and that those teachers should be outstanding and excellent and are able to excite children in the classroom, help them learn and give them that best start in life.”
Mr Davies said Bradford Council were ignoring the problem of school places in his area.