Shrewsbury’s Wakeman School to close in 2013
Shropshire Council’s cabinet has this afternoon agreed to a recommendation for the closure of the Wakeman School in Shrewsbury.
The decision was made at a cabinet meeting chaired by Council leader, Councilor Keith Barrow and followed an extended consultation. The school is set to shut its doors at the end of the academic year in August 2013 under the recommendation.
Year 11 pupils will leave in the normal course of education in July 2012 and year 10 pupils will remain in the school until July 2013, when they will leave having completed their GCSE year. Year nine will transfer to other schools in September 2012, where they will be able to follow their two-year GCSE courses without interruption and years seven and eight will transfer to other schools in September 2013.
The school currently has 240 pupils attending with 675 pupil spaces in total.
During the meeting Headteacher, Karen Moore said rumors of closure had affected the school.
Teachers, parents and pupils say they will continue to fight for the survival of the school and will look into other options to keep it open.
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.
Councillor Aggie Caesar-Homden, Cabinet member for schools, said:
“We appreciate that this is a difficult time for everyone affected by today’s decision and the decisions taken in July.
“These have been extremely hard decisions to make – no-one wants to close a school. Today, as in July, we have carefully considered all the issues and options and reached our decision in the best interests of all pupils in Shropshire.
“We have worked alongside pupils, parents, staff, governors and wider communities, including the diocese and town and parish councils, for more than a year to look at the challenges facing our schools and ways to address these. From the beginning people have been 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 agreed that Onny, Lydbury North and Stiperstones primary schools should be able to proceed with federation arrangements. We have only agreed to close a school where no other viable solutions have been brought forward.
“We will continue to work closely with the school, pupils, parents and the wider community to support them at every step. We will also work closely with those schools receiving pupils to ensure there is as little disruption as possible.
“This includes ensuring that those Wakeman School pupils approaching GCSE courses can transfer earlier to new schools, where they can undertake the whole of their studies.”
Other changes to Shropshire education
Today’s decision follows those 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 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.
The future of Ifton Heath Primary School will 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.
