Liberal Democrat councillors support joint use of Sawyers site
Brentwood Lib Dem County Cllrs David Kendall and Barry Aspinell believe the best solution for the Sawyers Hall College site would see it being shared between a new University Technical College and the Becket Keys Church School because there is a definite need and demand for both in Brentwood. Cllrs Kendall and Aspinell formed this view after recently attending a meeting at Larchwood Primary School organised by parents to discuss the various options for the Sawyers Hall College site.
Those present at the meeting listened to presentations outlining proposals for a University Technical College, a Studio School and the Becket Keys Church School. They were also able to ask a number of questions relating to the details of each proposal.
During the meeting Cllr Kendall asked if it would be possible to accommodate both the University Technical College and the Becket Keys Church School on the Sawyers Hall site and was told it would be. He was also told that several discussions had taken place between the two parties to discuss areas of common ground and the possibilities of working together.
Speaking after the meeting Cllr Kendall said "The Sawyers Hall site offers a unique opportunity to shape the educational choice in Brentwood for generations to come. In our view the joint use of the site must be seriously explored because it would meet the hopes and aspirations of many local parents and young people. We believe a University Technical College in the heart of Brentwood would be a real asset to our Borough offering vocational skills on our doorstep to the many young people who perhaps aren't best suited to a university education but want training locally in the skills to help them be successful in the job market. We also believe the Becket Keys Church School is definitely needed as can be seen by the strong interest amongst many local parents. In our view the north of Brentwood still needs a secondary school and if there is no entrance exam for Becket Keys and if the admission criteria is based upon a combination of Church attendance, proximity to the school and local feeder primary schools then we believe they have as much right as anyone else to try and get their dream of a new school off the ground"