Schools to be expanded in place of long-promised new Preston secondary school

The local Lib Dem leader John Potter, who has been vocal about the need for a new school, said it is 'just another broken promise'

Hello and welcome to The Lancashire Lead.

A plan is in place to address a shortage in school places in North West Preston - but it’s far from the one that was promised back in 2017.

5,500 new homes are expected to be built in the area over the 20 year period from around 2015-2035. That demand creates a need for places - and, at least anecdotally, we know that one of things that frustrates most about home building is when the infrastructure isn’t upgraded to match.

A sustained shortfall in places means that, ultimately, some children will be travelling out of borough to get to school.

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Schools to be expanded in place of long-promised new Preston secondary school

Proposed Higher Bartle School Site, Off Sandy Lane

By Paul Faulkner

It would “not be responsible” to build a long-promised new secondary school in Preston until there are enough pupils to fill it, the politician in charge of the process has said.

Lancashire County Council’s cabinet member for education and skills, Matthew Salter, was speaking as the authority identified the existing schools in the city that it is going to expand instead.

Moor Park High School will see an additional 18 students admitted for each of the next five years – from this September – gradually increasing its capacity from 560 to 650.

Ashton Community Science College will admit an extra 15 young people a year, also from the start of the 2026/27 academic calendar, eventually taking the total number of pupils on its roll to 875, up from the current 800.

Meanwhile, an ad hoc arrangement with Fulwood Academy will enable it to expand “as demand arises and in agreement with the school”, a meeting of the authority’s cabinet was told.

Plans to create a brand new school to serve the rapidly growing north west corner of Preston were last year pushed back until at least 2031 after a decision by Reform UK cabinet members.

An opening date of September 2027 had previously been earmarked for the 600-pupil establishment under the previous Conservative administration, which had itself repeatedly delayed a decision over where the school would actually be built – a question that remains unanswered.

The two longstanding options – land at Higher Bartle, which has been reserved for a school within a yet-to-be-built housing estate, and the redevelopment of the former Tulketh High School site in Ingol – remain on the table.