Crispin Blunt has welcomed the news from the Department of Education, announced by the Prime Minister today, that the proposed free school, Lime Tree High School has been given the go ahead and should be accepting pupils from September 2017.
In response to the statement, Mr Blunt said: “This is good news for parents and pupils in Reigate. The GLF group, based on the success of the Glyn School in Ewell will be Lime Tree High School’s parent group. It bodes well that this application for a free school now has official support from the DfE. A particular advantage should be that the capital funding for our desperately needed secondary school capacity in the centre of the borough will not now be dependent on the cash strapped Surrey County Council.
Anxious parents and I will be watching the development of this essential project closely. The Free Schools Programme is widening the sources of new school provision and children in Reigate and Banstead should now also be able to enjoy the choice and opportunity presented by this new school. Parental choice is the best driver of school success and, with increasing pressure on secondary school places, it is essential that locally we continue to develop and nurture the range of excellent secondary schools in the constituency of Reigate.”