Parents upset after plans for new school cancelled
Plans for a second primary school on Rotherham's Waverley estate have been formally dropped by the council, despite dozens of children being refused places at the estate's only existing school. The decision has angered 83 parents and a local councillor, who argue the current school is already oversubscribed and that the change breaks a long-standing promise made when the estate was first approved.
The Waverley estate, built on the site of the former Orgreave colliery, was granted outline planning permission in 2011 for 3,890 homes and two primary schools. Waverley Primary Academy opened in 2020 and was later expanded to 675 places, but 49 applications were rejected this year alone, 29 from within the catchment area, with 86 refused between 2022 and 2024 before the expansion. Rotherham Council says a second school is only required if the estate exceeds 3,250 homes, but the development will now deliver just 3,022 homes, while developer Harworth said it was "empathetic" but the decision followed eight years of work with the two local councils.
- Second Waverley estate primary school scrapped by Rotherham Council
- 83 parents and a councillor objected, citing an oversubscribed school
- Fewer homes than planned mean threshold for second school not met
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Rotherham's Waverley estate is a large housing development built on the site of the old Orgreave colliery. When it was given planning permission in 2011, the plan included nearly 3,900 homes and two primary schools, on the assumption that a community that size would need both.
So far only one of those schools, Waverley Primary Academy, has been built, opening in 2020 and later expanded to take more pupils. Even with that expansion, dozens of children have been turned away in recent years because the school does not have enough places for everyone who applies, particularly families living within its own catchment area.
Rotherham Council has now confirmed the second school will not go ahead, saying it is only required if the estate grows beyond 3,250 homes, and the final development is expected to total just over 3,000. This has upset parents and at least one local councillor, who see it as a broken promise, while the site's developer, Harworth, says the decision follows years of discussion with the councils involved.