By Dominic Raab, Local MP
We reached an important milestone in this effort on 3 June, when Heathside Walton school received planning permission. Heathside Walton will be an excellent new state secondary school, with a capacity of 900 pupils, serving children in Walton and Molesey. The target date for opening the school is September 2022. It has taken a tremendous team effort to get to this stage. I pay tribute to Anne Cullum from the ElmWey Learning Trust – which will operate the school – the Department for Education, and Surrey County Council for all of their hard work. This welcome development comes alongside continued progress on the expansion of Cobham Free School, which is moving into permanent accommodation at Munro House. Sixth form pupils entered the new site in September last year, and planning permission for the work to allow the rest of the school to move in was granted in February. The school plans to offer an extra 526 places by September 2021. When fully open, these two schools will make a significant contribution to relieving the pressures on school places across the borough.
This good local news is supported by the government’s commitment to ensure that all schools are properly funded. Schools are receiving an additional £14bn across three years, including a £2.6bn increase to core schools funding this year. We have also ensured that every primary school is receiving a minimum of £3,750 per pupil this year, and every secondary school a minimum of £5,000 per pupil. This benefits the 17 primary schools and 2 secondaries in Esher and Walton which received less than these amounts last year. Together, more school places and proper funding are ensuring that Elmbridge children receive the excellent education they deserve.