Cabinet decides on Wakeman School proposal
After extensive consultation, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet on Wednesday 7 September 2011 discussed the proposed closure of Wakeman School and Arts College in Shrewsbury.
Cabinet considered details of the recent statutory consultation on the proposal and made the final decision to move to close the school.
The 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 alongside schools and their communities, as recommended by an Independent Policy Commission chaired by Neil Kinghan.
Cabinet made the final decisions in July this year to close Barrow, Hopton Wafers and Maesbury primary schools, extend the age range of Buntingsdale Infant School, and create a single primary school in Shawbury. Further work is taking place with Shawbury primary and St Mary’s primary to decide on the site of the consolidated school.
At the same meeting Cabinet decided not to close Stiperstones Primary School, as proposed at an earlier stage, but to give the school the opportunity to progress a proposal to federate with Chirbury Primary School. Cabinet also agreed not to proceed to statutory consultation on proposals to close Onny and Lydbury North primary schools but to give them the opportunity to develop their proposal for federation.
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.”
Wakeman School and Arts College will close in August 2013. 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 future of Ifton Heath Primary School will be decided at a further meeting of Cabinet on 28 September. Cabinet will decide whether to proceed with the proposal to create 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.
Barrow, Hopton Wafers, Maesbury and Shawbury primary schools will close in August 2012.
For further information and Cabinet reports please visit the website shropshire.gov.uk/educationforshropshire
