Published at 08:59, Saturday, 26 November 2011

Cumbria County Council’s management of primary school places in Carlisle has not always been beyond reproach, to put it mildly.

Criticism has been particularly strident in the north of the city. It began several years ago when the council decided to close Belah School to cut ‘surplus’ school places.

The decision was made despite strong arguments that these places would soon be swallowed up by a rising birth rate.

And so it has proved. Belah was closed in 2008 and most pupils were transferred to Kingmoor School. Now the council is consulting on its plans to expand Kingmoor to accommodate increasing demand.

This consultation has run into controversy. Parents at one public meeting this week were given the chance to disagree with the expansion plans.

Those at a meeting the following night were not given this option; an option which the council claims should never have been offered.

The council faces a tough task and tough choices. Tripping itself up with silly mistakes serves only to undermine its authority.

Many will argue that the council’s main mistake this week was not automatically offering parents the option to disagree with expansion.

Being properly consulted on your child’s education is not an unreasonable thing to ask.

If the council had listened more carefully a few years ago, this current controversy may have been avoided altogether.

Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk