Clitheroe secondary school to expand and admit primary pupils from September 2023

Ribblesdale High School will admit pupils aged between four and 16 from September 2023, after Lancashire County Council’s cabinet approved the plan.

A class of 30 reception children will join the Queens Road school in two years’ time, with the primary phase gradually increasing to accommodate 210 pupils.

A new building will be constructed on the Higher Standen Farm housing development off Pendle Road. A plot on the 1,040-home estate is already reserved for the purpose and adjoins the existing secondary school.

The decision came following the results of informal and formal consultations that have taken place over the past six months into how to address an increased demand for school places in the area. A proposal to form an entirely new school has previously been rejected in favour of creating a so-called “all-through” facility at Ribblesdale.

Cabinet member for education and skills Jayne Rear told the meeting where the expansion was approved that it was an “exciting” development, adding: “I’m really interested to see how this new school pans out – its good news for Lancashire.”

Just two responses were received to the statutory consultation which was run between the end of September and beginning of November – an anonymous submission from somebody objecting to the plan and another from Ribble Valley Borough Council in support of it.

County Hall cabinet members have previously been told that pupils could benefit from studying a curriculum that is shaped to guide them from reception right up to their GCSEs.

Primary-aged pupils at the expanded Ribblesdale will automatically have “priority” for a secondary school place at the school under the plans, as they will already be on the school roll.

The scheme will be partially funded from developer contributions agreed as part of the housing site, but additional revenue funding will be required to meet the expected growth in pupil numbers.