Hundreds of protesters cheered with joy outside the Shirehall after Shropshire County Council announced a dramatic U-turn on the proposed closure of 22 primary schools.
Members of the cabinet voted unanimously yesterday to cancel the closure plans after a motion was proposed by member for children’s services Ann Hartley.
It means six schools in the Shrewsbury area are safe but the planned consultation on amalgamation – which affects 10 schools in the town – will go ahead.
Buildwas, Church Preen, Dorrington, Hope, Nesscliffe and Rushbury primary schools have all been taken off the closure list but Oakland Primary School at Bayston Hill still faces a merger with Longmeadow School, along with four sets of town infant and junior schools.
Councillor Hartley said that other solutions should be found instead of closure, and that the council would work with the schools to deal with the issues of falling pupil numbers and poor funding.
Consultation
She told the cabinet meeting: “I am going to propose that cabinet commissions consultation on the proposed amalgamation of primary schools, but does not proceed to consultation for schools that will be closed and waits to hear the outcome of the visit by the cross party delegation which is going to meet with Schools Minister Jim Knight to discuss funding.”
She also proposed there should be an analysis of the pupil count in 2008, and of all the information received from the schools, plus discussion with schools and key education stakeholders.
Hundreds of parents, pupils, staff and governors from the schools facing the axe turned out in force at the Shirehall to protest about the proposed re-organisation ahead of the meeting. They made their feelings loud and clear with banners, posters, T-shirts – as well as their voices. The cabinet meeting, which at times became fractious, was held in the council chamber to allow for more of the public to attend and each school was allowed to make a statement or question the cabinet.
Councillor Hartley’s statement at the start of the meeting surprised many.
Ludlow MP Philip Dunne, who led the cross party delegation to London yesterday evening, left the meeting immediately to tell the waiting crowd the news. And their cheers could be heard clearly inside the meeting.
‘Need to be vigilant’
The news was greeted with happiness but caution by the protesters.
Rebecca Hotchkiss, who is a member of the PTA at Rushbury Primary School, said: “Initially I am pleased with this decision and that the immediate threat is over bit I still think we need to be vigilant. I am very happy about the news as long as it’s a permanent decision and not just delaying the closures.”
Angie Drake, a teaching assistant at Buildwas School, said: “We are overjoyed but we still know that things might not go the way we want them to. We need to keep up the pressure on the council.”
On behalf of Nesscliffe School, Rachel Warner said: “We are pleased to hear about the proposal but we would like clarification that the school is safe and I can tell parents and governors that. This consultation has put forward lots of incorrect facts about the school.”
But representatives of Oakland School were unhappy with the decision of the cabinet.
Malcolm Edwards, a parent, said: “The decision is terrible. We are a village school the same as the ones they have saved. We are totally against amalgamation – it just means that one school – our school – is going to close. We are a thriving and successful school in a great community. We will be challenging them all the way on this.”
l See pages 4, 5 & 8 of this week’s Shrewsbury Chronicle for more news on the schools closure.
