WORTH Valley parents who argue the standard of secondary education in the district is not good enough for their children have announced they intend to establish a secondary Free School.

Members of The Worth Valley Secondary Project Team were due to hold two meetings in Haworth on Tuesday night to canvas opinions about the idea.

A statement released this week said: “The current standard of secondary provision in the Worth Valley is not good enough.

“Only a small percentage of the most academically able access grammar school places, which takes pupils outside of Bradford Metropolitan District into North Yorkshire and Calderdale.”

A Free School would operate outside of Bradford’s Local Education Authority framework, but be Ofsted inspected.

Project team spokesman Ronnie Hartley, who lives in Oxenhope and has worked in the education sector for 20 years, said: “We are concerned about academic progress at local secondary schools and think there should be an alternative.

“We want to work in partnership with schools in our area. This is not meant as a challenge to them.”

If the bid is successful, the intention is to establish a school for 630 pupils before the end of 2016. No preferred site in the Worth Valley has been identified.

But Ian Murch, Bradford district’s National Union of Teachers spokesman, issued a warning in response to the news.

He said the answer lies in improving existing schools rather than setting up a new one. “If there is a new school there would be too many places for the number of pupils,” he added.

“That would make the whole situation worse, and it would be likely the new school itself won’t be viable. It is similar to people setting up their own businesses – they start out hopeful but a lot don’t succeed.”

Keighley MP Kris Hopkins said: “All parents should be able to access good schools in their locality and give their children the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

“However, having visited all secondary schools across my constituency, I’m acutely aware of the strong leadership now being demonstrated and the continuing improvements in the quality of education being provided.

“These achievements must be recognised and supported. But I’ll be happy to read the proposals put forward by the Worth Valley Project Team and offer my input.”

Councillor Ralph Berry, Bradford Council portfolio holder for Children and Young People’s Services, said he was prepared to meet with the team behind the Free School bid, but added: “I need to look at the impact of whatever proposal is made and then we’ll be able to respond appropriately.”

But support has come from Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury Parish Council chairman, Cllr John Huxley. He said: “If someone is coming up with this idea the Worth Valley is exactly the place for it. Most of our kids have to be bussed in and out of Keighley.

“If we’re to provide education provision for the 500 houses Bradford plans to build here during the next 20 years, we need to have somewhere for these extra pupils to go to school.”

The Keighley News contacted Oakbank and Parkside schools, which draw many of their pupils from the Worth Valley. An Oakbank spokesman said: “We will listen with interest to what proposals are put forward.”

No one from Parkside had commented by the time the paper went to press.

Miss Hartley, who has worked in the education sector for more than 20 years, added a Free School – which would operate outside of Bradford’s Local Education Authority framework – would still be inspected by Ofsted and would have to teach the core curriculum subjects.