Bearsted Church of England Primary School (Hansard, 28 March 1969)

§ Mr. John Wells (Maidstone)
With your permission, Mr. Speaker, and that of the House, I wish to present a Petition on behalf of nearly 300 parents, and prospective parents, of pupils at the Bearsted Church of England Primary School in my constituency. The present school is old and small. Its playground is rough and filled with temporary classrooms. Its alternative playing area is on the green across a busy road. There are now some 700 new dwellings planned for the catchment area of this and the next primary school which is situated on the far side of the main A20 road. This school is——

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The hon. Gentleman must present his petition briefly.

§ Mr. Wells
The school is immediately below the six feet to 8 feet high railway embankment and the main Ashford to Maidstone railway line, carrying many noisy express trains, runs along there. Recently the school was closed for fear of subsidence on the line after heavy rain.
An alternative site for a new primary school has been reserved for many years and work was scheduled to begin on this school in the current year. This work has now been postponed. The Petition ends: Wherefore your petitioners pray that the Secretary of State for Education and Science be instructed to make immediate provision for the erection of a new school for the parish of Bearsted, upon a site that has been reserved for that purpose for over 20 years. And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray.