Issues concerning secondary school places in Harpenden will be aired at an information and Q&A evening in the town next week.

Organised by Harpenden Parents Group (HPG), it is being held at Sir John Lawes School from 7.30pm on Tuesday, September 9.

Among the speakers will be Andrew Simmons, the county council’s deputy director for children’s services (education), county councillors Teresa Heritage and David Williams and members of the Harpenden Secondary Education Trust (HSET) which is preparing an application to the Department for Education to open a new school in the town.

At the meeting parents will be able to find out more about Herts county council’s (HCC) and HSET’s plans for the new Harpenden secondary school as well as find out how HCC is going to deal with the shortfall of secondary school places in 2015 and 2016.

There will be a Q&A session enabling parents to ask questions of the speakers.

In 2015 and 2016, there is a forecast deficit of nearly 90 secondary school places in the Harpenden area in each year.

The opening of a new school will not now happen until 2017 because HCC has employed consultants to take a fresh look at possible sites in the town.

Ben Bardsley, Chair of HPG commented: “We are pleased to have this opportunity to hear more about these very crucial secondary education issues directly from Herts County Council, local councillors and Harpenden Secondary Education Trust.

“We invite all parents from Harpenden and the surrounding villages who are interested in finding out more about the new school and who are concerned about these issues to attend this meeting.”