Parents of children at a Shropshire school set to be amalgamated under future plans have issued a final call asking county councillors to “start listening”.
A letter from parents Lis Wharton and Malcolm Edwards has been sent to county councillors over the amalgamation of Oaklands and Longmeadow primary schools in Bayston Hill, near Shrewsbury.
They call for a public open meeting in Bayston Hill for county councillors to discuss the amalgamation with villagers.
It says: “Now we are in the final period of the process, we call on the county councillors to start listening to views of people in Bayston Hill.
“When this process started it was said or strongly implied that additional funding was only available if the schools amalgamated. This is not true. The funding is available regardless and each school could have its facilities improved.
“What is the reason for the amalgamation? Is it about asset stripping the value of Oaklands site as other county councils have done?”
The letter says Bayston Hill has a pupil population of 330 and that the new school would have a capacity of 420.
It says a few years ago the amount of pupils was 660 and adds: “Considering the demography of the village, it is quite possible in some years time that one school will not be large enough.
“There is no evidence that bigger schools perform better; in fact the reverse is often true.”
It also claims traffic issues that would be created by an amalgamation have not been addressed.
“We feel that the county council have been bullying us, ignoring us and putting forward dubious facts in several areas,” the letter says. “One of which is that we are an urban village. This is not true.”
County councillor Ann Hartley said: “I appreciate that feelings are running high about these proposals, but I again reassure residents that we are taking everything into consideration before any decisions are made.
“I completely refute any allegations of ‘bullying’ - we have been out to the community to hold public meetings and listened to what people have had to say.”
By Rhea Parsons
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