FRUSTRATED parents whose children missed out on their first choice secondary school have raised concerns over the number of new housing developments.

Ruth Ramsay, of Whitehaven, says her daughter is ‘utterly devastated’ after failing to secure a place at the Whitehaven Academy, which was oversubscribed this year.   

Her daughter has been attending Jericho Primary School - a feeder school - since she was four-years-old and the family live just over a mile from the academy.

Calls are now being made for more investment in local schools amid fears that a rise in new housing is having an impact on school places.

A number of housing developments have been given the green light for Whitehaven in recent months - including hundreds of houses at Harras Moor and over 100 additional houses at Edgehill Park.

But Cumberland Council say there are ‘more than sufficient school places across Cumberland’ and the council works closely with planning and housing departments to monitor upcoming developments.

Ms Ramsay said: “If parents can't get their children into a school that is literally up the road from them and they have attended a feeder school since reception, something is badly wrong and it needs looked into by our MP.

“There are children being allocated places at Workington which is unbelievable. Transitions are stressful enough and kids are facing starting school in September with none of their friends for support.

“It was mentioned by some of the parents that housing estates are still getting built all over and new people are being attracted to the area by the relatively low-cost housing.

“All this building needs matched with investment in our schools and infrastructure or the situation will only get worse in future years.”

Chris Hayes, mayor of Whitehaven, said: “Families can’t get their names down for schools. There are so many houses being built and not enough schools.

“Kells is really bad at the moment with another 200 houses planned. Where are they all going to go? It’s a joke.

“The developers need to do more. They should start building community centres and schools, if they want to build those houses. Are you going to buy a house if you can’t get your child into a school?

“Education is so important. I really feel for these people trying to get their kids school places.”

The Whitehaven Academy’s headteacher Nigel Youngman confirmed the school was oversubscribed for Year 7 students starting in September 2024.

He said: “We are deeply sympathetic to the families who were unsuccessful in their applications. Families have appealed to an entirely independent appeal board who judge each case individually.

“The Whitehaven Academy is a success story for the local community. We have a growing school population, with a dedicated and ambitious team of professionals teaching and supporting young people who want to succeed.

“We are proud of how the school is developing, are keen to expand and want to welcome local families. Our ambition and desire to grow, has to be set against our capacity.

“We will continue to work with the appropriate authorities to look for solutions to increase capacity at the academy to ensure all local children who wish to be educated here have access to the opportunities we can offer as part of Cumbria Education Trust.”

A spokesperson for West Lakes Academy said: "Places at West Lakes Academy are allocated by the Local Authority in line with the academy’s publicly-consulted admissions policy.

"The academy is oversubscribed for the incoming school year and parents have the right of appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel if they are unhappy with their child’s allocation."

A Cumberland Council spokesperson said: “The Council has specific statutory duties relating to School Organisation and Admissions to ensure the sufficiency of school places for all children and young people.

“The Council can confirm that there are more than sufficient school places across Cumberland. Council Officers work closely with other departments such as planning, housing etc. to monitor upcoming developments.

“The forecasting methodology adopted is robust and considers numerous strands of intelligence across the whole School Organisation piece.

“Cumberland Council co-ordinates admissions to all maintained schools and academies in the Cumberland area, regardless of whether the Local Authority, the Governing Body or the Academy Trust is the admission authority.

“For Community and voluntary controlled schools, Cumberland Council is the admission authority – it decides on the admission policy and makes decisions about the allocation of places.

“For Voluntary Aided and Foundation schools, each school’s Governing Body is responsible for the admissions policy and decisions about the allocation of places.

“For academies and free schools, the Academy Trust is responsible for the admissions policy and decisions about the allocation of places.

“Cumberland Council (LA) is not responsible for the allocation decisions made by voluntary aided, foundation or free schools or academies.

“Further information regarding admissions and the appeals process can be found on Cumberland Council’s website.”