'Amazing result' as Leeds Council agrees to expand Allerton High School after pupil places 'crisis'

It comes after children living across the road from the school in King Lane were not offered a Year 7 place - despite places being based on distance - on secondary school offer day at the beginning of March.

Alwoodley councillor Dan Cohen launched a petition calling on Leeds City Council to "urgently" expand the number of places offered at the school, which educates 1,400 11-18 year olds and is rated 'Outstanding' by Ofsted.

Now Coun Cohen has revealed that 30 additional places will be offered at the school for September 2021, with a consultation set to ask people for their thoughts on expanding the number of places on a permanent basis, potentially taking the number of Year 7 places to 280.

Coun Cohen hailed it as an "amazing result" in a message posted to the community.

He added: "We have succeeded in convincing the administration of the need of both a temporary expansion of Allerton High School for this September and a permanent expansion (subject to a formal consultation).

"Well done to the whole community in working to make this happen."

Coun Cohen shared a letter he received from the council.

It said: "Following on from discussions between the LA (local authority) and Allerton High we are now in a position to be able to confirm that we will be offering an additional 30 places as a bulge at Allerton High for September 2021 (250 places in total).

"This will be done via the first 'top up' from the waiting list next week.

"Supporting accommodation will be provided along with growth funding.

"Separately we will be starting the consultation on the permanent expansion of the school on 31 March - ahead of the Easter break."

The consultation will run until May 7.

The letter added: "This is on a proposal to establish an additional 60 places per year in Y7 from 2022 taking the PAN (published admission number) to 280."

Coun Cohen said he and his fellow Conservative councillors, Neil Buckley and Peter Harrand, had been campaigning on the issue for a year.

Their online petition calling for the expansion has been signed by almost 1,200 people.

The petition states: "Allerton High School is an Ofsted Outstanding school in the heart of Alwoodley. It is a very popular school, however it doesn’t have sufficient places to accommodate the young people in its catchment.

"The school would very much like to expand to serve more Alwoodley families and educate more of our young people. Local ward councillors have been calling for the school to expand for the past year.

"The community, the school and ward councillors all know this is the only way to resolve the high school places crisis in this part of Leeds. It can be delivered efficiently and effectively and if the council moves at great speed can remedy the issues caused this year."

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