Bertie Ballinger: Reform-run Worcestershire Council has dropped plans for a new school

Bertie Ballinger is the Deputy Chairman for Fundraising of the Worcester Conservatives.

Reform-controlled Worcestershire County Council has stepped away from its long-standing proposal for a brand-new secondary school in Worcester, opting instead to focus on expanding and upgrading existing schools. The poor decision comes amid mounting financial pressures, spiralling construction costs, and revised projections for school-place demand.

The plan for a new 600-place secondary school on Newtown Road in Worcester was first approved in 2021 to meet rapidly increasing demand for secondary places, driven in part by new housing developments around the city. The school had passed through planning, and the County and Department for Education had already selected the multi-academy trust Oasis Community Learning as the preferred sponsor.

But by mid-2025, further feasibility work and cost reviews indicated that the new school would require £63.3 million to deliver by 2029 – a figure significantly above earlier estimates and beyond what Reform could comfortably accommodate in the county’s capital programme. The Council argue that at a time when it is financially struggling, such large investments are not proper. However, this is not the only concern with the proposed school. The Worcester Labour MP, Tom Collins, welcomed the decision not to build a new school. Both fail, however, to understand the larger issues that Worcestershire is facing regarding school places, and instead of a new school, alternative plans have been put forward.

In a report considered by the Council’s Cabinet on 17 July 2025, alternative options were presented as follows:

• Short-term (2026–27): Create additional Year 7 places by expanding existing secondary schools with bulge year groups or minor adaptations. Dyson Perrins CofE Academy and The Chase in Malvern are proposed to take extra pupils.
• Medium-term (from 2029): Either proceed with the Newtown Road school or permanently expand several existing Worcester and Malvern schools, including Nunnery Wood High School, Bishop Perowne CofE College, Tudor Grange Academy Worcester, The Chase, and Dyson Perrins. Christopher Whitehead Language College was ruled out for expansion due to space constraints. This is the only secondary school in West Worcester.
• The cost of this expansion of existing schools would be around £26.2 million, including borrowing of £3.9 million.

This alternative option of expanding existing schools, to me, seems more like putting tape over a leaking hose; it might work short-term, but really you should start looking to get a new hose.

Other options being explored include using part of the old County Hall site for secondary provision. Currently County Hall is empty, having been stood down for use following RAAC and Legionella issues. The cost associated with a new secondary school on this site is £29.4 million

For many councillors, the challenge now is ensuring that expanded schools can cope with the extra pupils without affecting teaching quality.

Cllr Mel Fordington of Hallow Division says of his local school:

“It seems the school may face significant challenges. Therefore, a well-defined plan to evaluate the school’s ability to accommodate more students is essential. Furthermore, we must also consider the impact on the teaching staff and their capacity to manage. It is our hope that the new Education cabinet member, Councillor Stephen Foster, will fully understand the pressures the school is under. I wish to express my concerns and offer my full support to our schools and the vital importance of education for our children.”

This highlights both the need for careful planning and the importance of supporting teaching staff as enrolment rises. Something that Reform councillors seem to have forgotten.

School leaders that I have spoken to have responded positively to the council’s decision to prioritise expansion of existing high-performing institutions but feel there has been a lack of communication from the inexperience Reform councillors. Peter Cooper, CEO and Executive Principal, Heart of Mercia Multi Academy Trust says:

“In essence, the Heart of Mercia Trust hasn’t had a conversation with the council post the announcement that the new secondary school building wasn’t proceeding. The decision seems sensible and we would very much welcome exploring how we can help to work with the council and local authority to provide the required post-16 places and secondary places to the west of the city, given the rising demographics in these areas and age ranges. Both the Chantry and Worcester Sixth Form College are high performing academies and it makes a lot of sense to invest in the expansion of successful institutions to serve the needs of the county’s youngsters.”

Reform has decided to ignore the local district councils’ plans to expand around Worcester, through the South Worcestershire Development Plan, showing that while Worcestershire County Council is the strategic authority, Reform councillors are out of their depth and have no workable strategies. Over 5000 new homes are planned as part of two larger urban extensions of Worcester, with 1000 secondary school places needed to cover this.

The July Cabinet decision approved immediate measures to create extra Year 7 places for 2026 and 2027 and authorised detailed feasibility studies for longer-term expansion, including a potential secondary facility on part of the County Hall site. The council will continue to review demand projections as new housing developments progress. While the Newtown Road school is not completely off the table, it is no longer the default solution. The emphasis now is on strengthening the county’s existing educational infrastructure and ensuring that any future capital spending provides best value for money.

For families, the shift means that additional capacity will come from local schools rather than a new campus. For teachers and staff, the pressure to maintain standards as enrolment grows will be significant, reinforcing the need for the “well-defined plan” that Cllr Fordington calls for. It also means that children in Worcester City, particularly West Worcester (St John’s), will have to travel by bus or taxi, 16-18m round trip everyday for school, paid for by the cash strapped council.

With the county’s finances under strain and pupil numbers still climbing, Worcestershire’s education strategy now hinges on the ability of Reform’s inexperienced councillors to plan effectively, invest wisely, and support the schools the county already has. I hope eventually that the decision can be made to erect a new school in Worcester and not simply plug the gap short-term and hope that the increased demand does not materialise, as Reform are looking to do.