South Yorkshire Times, April 5, 1969
No Room at School Means 30 May Lose up to a Year’s Education
A massive overflow caused by new housing developments in Conisbrough has hit Station Road Junior Mixed and Infants’ School to such an extent that 30 children are to be refused admission to the school when the Easter term commences.
These children are all eligible to start school at Easter but there is no room for them, and with the problem mounting there is likelihood of some children missing up to a full year’s work. Children from the Windmill Estate and new developments on the east side of Conisbrough are coming to Station Road School while there are ample vacancies in Denaby Balby Street School. The problem is that the vast majority of children cannot be transferred to Balby Street as their homes are at the opposite end of the town.
Extra accommodation at Station Road cannot be provided by the West Riding while vacancies still exist at schools in the area.
Warning
Said Coun. Albert Tyas, one of Conisbrough Primary School Managers, “I warned Station Road eight years ago when a class was given up for the building of toilets, that they would need all their accommodation. Now the new developments have caused this problem. We haven’t enough room take the extra load.”‘
He continued, “Only Balby Street and Rossington Street can take extra, but they are a great distance from the children’s homes.”
Said Coun. Bernard Short, also a Primary Manager, “We have a school in Denaby nearly empty. Someone in authority should do something about this. Parents must be directed to send their children to Denaby instead of Station Road. The only answer is zoning. Children from the new Weligate flats—eleven were taken in this term — must be transferred to Balby Street.”
The 30 children can be accepted in September, but a similar situation will arise when those eligible in January ask for places.
Said Coun. Tyas, “What we want is a new classroom. We are not asking for the moon. This would relieve the problem for the next few years. This problem could have been avoided — we asked for a census long ago to look into’ the question of zoning.”
Census
The Divisional Education Officer, Mr. P. M. R. Timothy, is to undertake a census of all homes in the Station Road catchment area to provide figures for the coming years of the number of children likely to require a place at the school.