Cheadle and Gatley Lib Dems are moving
Your Lib Dem team for Cheadle West & Gatley Learn more
by Lib Dem team on 15 June, 2010
From the Council:
Stockport Council is to consider proposals to improve the provision of secondary school education across the borough. The proposals will affect schools in the east of Stockport, and will be considered by the Executive on 14th June. The Executive is being asked to consider the following:
· Removing excessive capacity at Marple Hall School and Werneth High School
· Modifying provision at Stockport School to reinstate more places
· A public consultation on the proposed closure of Offerton School
This review of secondary schools has been brought about by falling student numbers. In 2004 there were more than 17,000 students aged 11 to 16 but by 2014 this is projected to fall to 13,000. There are several Stockport secondary schools where the number of surplus places is well above the nationally accepted level, where the Government advises local councils to take action. The Council has a duty to ensure the best use of its limited resources and it is crucial that this review of the effectiveness of current and future provision takes place.
If the Executive approves the proposals, a public consultation would begin at the end of June. Following this, the Executive would review the proposal and the public responses in early Autumn when a decision would be taken on whether or not to publish a Statutory Notice to close Offerton School. The closure would not be before July 2012 and there would need to be a phased withdrawal from that site. For further information please click here.
2 Comments
Dear Councillor
I am writing to you in the hope that you will support Offerton School and try your best to stop the proposed closure. As an ex pupil, parent of two ex pupils and also a current pupil I am staggered that the closure of this school is even up for discussion, this school is needed in this community.
The damage that this ongoing proposal is doing may be fatal for the school and must stop, current pupils are leaving and new pupils not enrolling for September 10. I am beginning to wonder if there has been a long term plan to run down this school, you only have to visit the school and look at the state of the building to see evidence of this, and sell off this large piece of land for houses, but surely not, the education of our children is far more important than deals to sell prime land isn’t it?
I have been informed by relatives that have decided to move their children to another school that Stockport School (mile end) is full and also that Marple Hall is full, so where will our children be expected to go? My son has an sen and the stress moving to a new school full of strangers miles away is something I do not want him suffer.
Surely there is a case for down sizing the school and yes even sell off some land but please, please do not shut it.
I look forward to hearing from you and hope that the school can count on the support of all of its local coucillors.
Thank you
Mrs Sharon Giles
Hi Sharon,
This is an issue I’ll be looking at in the Children and Young Peoples’ Scrutiny Committee meeting at the Town Hall on Wednesday.
Looking at the papers now, I’d like to correct one point you make.
Stockport and Marple Hall schools are far from full. Stockport has 256 spare places and Marple Hall has 518 (figures from a report to the council Executive on 14th June).
Because pupil numbers have fallen sharply in the last few years, nearly a quarter of all school places will be unfilled by 2014/15.
I think something has to be done: maintaining lots of buildings without the pupils to fill them means more money on repairs and less on educating our young people.
Whether closing one of the high schools is the right approach is something the council needs to decide and I hope we can properly consider all the views before we make that decision.