A major consultation is to be launched in Shropshire to give people the chance of shaping the future of county schools in the face of falling pupil numbers and a feared massive cut to public spending.

Shropshire Council members and officers have worked with headteachers and parents governors to put together a draft vision for the future of school organisation. It sets out the challenges for the primary and secondary sectors.

It also outlines criteria seen as necessary for a school to be successful.

For example, a review of a secondary school might be triggered if it has 600 or fewer pupils on roll or if its surplus places are forecast to exceed 35 per cent over a three-year period. But education chiefs stress these are only suggested options and that there is no closures hit list.

Cecilia Motley, council cabinet member for children and young people’s services, said there was “no hidden agenda”.

Future

She added: “The key issue at the heart of all this is securing excellent education for all Shropshire children.

“We are now consulting on this draft vision which is critical to getting things right for the future.”

Councillor Motley said it might be that after consultation, and once the scale of cuts to public service funding are known, the suggested principles and criteria have to be reconsidered.

An attempt by the former county council two years ago to tackle the problem of surplus classroom places and a funding shortfall, resulted in a list of possible school closures and mergers.

The move led to widespread public anger and a massive demonstration at the Shirehall, forcing the authority to back down on closures, though a series of amalgamations went ahead.

An independent policy commission of experts look- ed at the challenges facing schools in detail, and its findings last summer have formed the basis for the new vision. The commission called for much closer collaboration between schools and the sharing of resources.

Council leader Keith Barrow said: “It’s incredibly important that we now get the views of parents and of the wider community before we decide on the best approach to running our local schools in the future.”

The council cabinet is being asked next Wednesday to approve the consultation which will last for 16 weeks. But a new policy will not be adopted until next year.

By Dave Morris