A GROUP of parents behind a plan to establish the Worth Valley’s first ever Free School are appealing to people who support their vision to make their voices heard.

The team behind the proposal have announced they want to submit a bid in an application stage that opens in May.

Dawn Tucker-Brown, spokesman for the Worth Valley Secondary Free School Project Team, said: “In order to make a strong case to the Department for Education that we need another secondary school in the Worth Valley, we have to be able to demonstrate demand. If we can’t do this, then they will not consider our application.

“Wave nine of Free School Applications, which opens on May 22 and closes at midday on May 29, is likely to be the last round, depending on the outcome of the General Election.

“This is our one chance to have a different choice of secondary education for our children.”

She called on parents not to let this opportunity “slip through their fingers”, adding: “If parents value an education where all children thrive and prosper, they are unhappy about the quality of existing provision and want an innovative and creative alternative, we ask them to please support this bid.”

A Free School would operate outside of Bradford’s Local Education Authority framework, but would still be Ofsted inspected and would have to teach the core curriculum subjects.

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

Ms Tucker-Brown said parents should ‘like’ the project’s Facebook page, called Worth Valley Secondary Free School.

“We need at least 800 Facebook page likes and 800 signatures on the parents survey by March 13. Kris Hopkins MP has agreed to see us on March 6 to discuss our proposals” she said.