Public meeting to discuss controversial Sikh Secondary School (From Bucks Free Press)
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Public meeting to discuss controversial Sikh Secondary School
10:23am Tuesday 12th March 2013 in News By Pete Grant
Plans for the new site on Hollybush Hill have divided the community
Controversial plans for a new Sikh Secondary School in South Bucks will be debated at a public meeting held by Stoke Poges Parish Council on Thursday.
Trustees of the Khalsa Secondary Academy have been invited to answer questions from the residents of Stoke Poges about their recent planning application to open a new Free School in the area.
Opponents of the proposed school say the criteria set out by the Department of Education for the coalition government’s flagship Free School programme have not been met.
It is argued there is no ‘basic need’ for the school in an area with two others existing, and that the Khalsa Secondary Academy have not consulted widely enough on the plans.
The Parish Council also claim the extra traffic from Sough would cause chaos on the roads in the vicinity.
An online petition entitled ‘Keep our Village a Village’ has attracted 2,000 signatures in 10 days, which residents claim demonstrates the lack of demand for the school.
Though it would be a faith school, the admission policy states that 50 per cent of pupils at the Khalsa Secondary School can be non-Sikh.
The meeting will be held at Stoke Poges Village Hall at 8pm on Thursday 14 March. For further information, contact theclerk@stokepogesparishcouncil.gov.uk.
