Opinion split on proposal for new Northwich high school

An application for a new school for 11 to 16-year-olds is due to be submitted later this year, with its backers saying parents deserve a chance to ‘vote with their feet’ for ‘something different’.

Given the town’s growth with new homes being built and proposed, they say the area’s high schools are at capacity.

But town councillors poured cold water on the idea at a meeting this week, suggesting that a new school could destabilise the existing cluster – which already offer a good selection to parents.

A poll on the Guardian website showed that two-thirds of readers would back a new school, while 31 per cent said it wasn’t needed and 3 per cent were unsure.

Meanwhile, a vote on the Guardian’s Facebook story on Thursday suggested a different opinion, with 61 per cent saying it was not needed with 39 per cent in support.

The town council declined to invite Duart Consultants to its next meeting to discuss the plan, saying there was not enough demand.

The free school – government-funded but independent of council control – would offer a greater focus on technology, careers and developing ‘citizens of the world’.

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