Billet Road - No school needed says Redbridge

 Billet Road 'opportunity site' Masterplan included a secondary school (see Map) but its no longer necessary .. why?

the demand for pupil places has fallen across the borough and across London. In Redbridge, between 2017 and the end of the 2020-21 academic year, there was an average of 7% of surplus places.Equivalent of almost 10 empty classes.

The decline in overall demand is partly linked to a reduction in the number of ‘Redbridge live births’ (declining since 2016)  who are no longer resident in the borough by the time their child reaches statutory school age. At present, by the time they reach the age of 4, around 12% of children born in Redbridge have moved out of the borough.

impact of Brexit on both inward migration into the borough and outward migration from Redbridge to other EU countries; a decline in inward migration of families with school age children to Redbridge from other parts of London and the UK; and a decline in inward migration of families with school age children to Redbridge from countries outside of the EU.

Evidence of the falling demand for places moving into secondary is already being seen in the number of schools starting the academic year with surplus places in Year 7, which went from three schools in 2017 to nine schools for the start of 2020.

The current and future position with pupil place demand in Redbridge is replicated across London. Many London boroughs are seeing a similar picture, with the range of surplus places between 3.6% and 22.7% in 2020-21.

Surplus Sites for Additional School Places- 13 Sept 2021

No new schools needed in Redbridge - so are new homes needed?

 Ilford recorder report on the Schools' Funding Forum meeting: "Council says plans for two new schools should stop"

The reasons given are:

• Birth Rate down "Live births in Redbridge increased until 2015 and then started to decline. Between 2017 and 2019, there was a 4.5% decrease in the live birth rate within the borough and when it becomes available, we expect that data for 2020 and on into the next few years will see the trend of falling birth rates continue.
  
  
• Migration " the impact of outward migration" people leaving and less people moving from inner to outer London. They are moving out of London altogether. "Migration from other parts of the world is virtually non-existent"

Begs the question if less families / children means less schools then why are more new homes needed?

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