Fears as new school planned next to probation centre for convicted paedophiles

A new school is set to open next door to a probation centre used by convicted paedophiles.

The Livingstone Academy will house up to 1,500 pupils if it is granted permission to open in Bournemouth town centre, Dorset, next year.

The school, for children aged between four and 19, will be just yards away from a probation office used by “people known to offend with children”, according to reports.

Neighbours have revealed their concerns aboutthe school’s “proximity to ... convicted paedophiles having to pass the school to sign the sex register”.

The school will also be close to a police station – fuelling concerns kids could be struck by speeding emergency response cars.

But the Department of Education (DoE) insists it has incorporated “all necessary safety features”, the Telegraph reports.

The school is set to have obscured windows on the ground floor in a bid to prevent sex offenders from looking at youngsters.

It will be surrounded by an 8ft high fence with gates which only open for an hour each morning and 45 minutes in the evening when kids arrive and leave.

Its main entrance will be supervised by staff while CCTV cameras will be installed at all perimeter entrances and the exits of the building.

And playgrounds will be blocked from view, with strategically-placed plants and landscaping serving as a barrier.

Windows will be covered up to 2m high, according to the plans.

But John Green, Dorset Police crime prevention officer, said: “Issues with the probation centre having service users who have to report to the building that could place them in breach of court and probation orders by being so close to a school have been raised.

“The enhanced risk of having a pool of young people quite so close to people known to offend with children is, I believe, a great concern to the probation and police.”

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council will decide next week whether to grant planning permission.

The school will be run by the Aspirations Academies Trust (AAT), which insisted “the location of the school and the proximity of the probation centre and police station can be managed appropriately.”

In a joint statement submitted with the planning application, Dorset Police, the National Probation Service, the DoE and AAT said a meeting would be set up later in the year to further discuss management and safeguarding.

A DoE spokesman said: "All necessary safety features proposed for this school were already incorporated into its design and no further alterations were required.”

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