Wakeman School closure proposals recommended to go-ahead

Following an extended consultation the closure proposal will go to a council cabinet meeting on 7 September. If the closure is approved the school will shut its doors at the end of the academic year in August 2013.

The school was one of a number across Shropshire to be listed for proposed closure or federation in February this year. Shropshire Council is aiming to save around £1million per year by making changes to education in Shropshire.

Over 8,000 local people signed a petition against the proposals to close the Wakeman School earlier in the year, with parents, students and the local community all joining together to try and save the school with a campaign called “Why Waste Wakeman”.

In March this year OFSTED rated the school as ‘Good’, confirmed by excellent GCSE results attained by students this August when 76% of pupils received five or more grades A* to C, a 10% increase on 2010.

Headteacher Karen Moore said:

“I find it unbelievable that the Local Authority can still feel that this is a sensible decision. It is complacent in the extreme for the authority to feel that they can afford to close an OFSTED judged good school that contributed significantly to Shropshire’s excellent GCSE results this year. The school has shown that it has strong support from across the town. The proposals will save very little money, if any, and will significantly reduce real choice for parents in Shrewsbury.”
Chair of Governors Andy Rayment said:

“The Local Authority’s decision to go ahead with this proposal seriously undermines their assertion that they want to improve education in Shropshire. They should have the courage to admit that they have got this wrong instead of ploughing on regardless of facts. Closing a good school whilst planning for a new one in a few years time! You couldn’t make it up! We have a compelling case for keeping the school open and will be challenging any decision to close the school with the relevant authorities.”

Shropshire Council Cabinet Meeting
On Wednesday 7 September 2011, the Shropshire Council Cabinet will consider representations made during the consultation and make the final decision on the future of the school.

The six-week statutory consultation period of representations follows consultation which has taken place on an unprecedented scale to look at the future of education in the county. This began with the development of a new education vision and school organisation policy as recommended by an Independent Policy Commission, chaired by Neil Kinghan.

The meeting will follow decisions made in July 2011 to close four of Shropshire’s primary schools as part of the school organisation process. Barrow, Hopton Wafers and

Maesbury primary schools will now close on 31 August 2012. It was agreed to create a single primary school in Shawbury and further work is taking place with Shawbury Primary School and St Mary’s Primary School to decide on the site of the consolidated school.

At the same meeting Onny, Lydbury North and Stiperstones primary schools were given the opportunity to federate and were saved from closure at this time.

Councillor Aggie Caesar-Homden, Cabinet member for schools, said:

“We understand that this is a challenging time for pupils, parents, staff and the wider school community affected by the proposals.

“We, as a Cabinet, have another very difficult decision to make. However, we have not arrived at this stage without careful consideration of all the issues and options – consultation has taken place on an extensive scale.

“We have worked alongside schools and their communities for more than a year to look at the challenges facing our schools and ways to address these.

“From the beginning schools, parents, governors, pupils, the diocese, town and parish councils and wider communities have been invited to bring forward their own solutions. This has continued throughout the process with people being urged to come up with viable, long term alternatives to the proposals, which still ensure we can provide excellent education for all our children.

“Where this has happened we have listened and this can be seen at the previous Cabinet meeting, where we decided to allow Onny, Lydbury North and Stiperstones primary schools to proceed with federation arrangements.

“At Cabinet next week, we will be carefully considering the representations received during statutory consultation and the recommendations of the corporate director of people’s services.”

The future of Ifton Heath Primary School will also be decided at a further meeting of Cabinet on 28 September 2011. Cabinet will decide whether to proceed with the proposal to make an all-through school by relocating Ifton Heath Primary School and extending the age range of Rhyn Park School and Performing Arts College to include the primary age range.