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Fears for teaching jobs under Oswestry school merger plan
Thursday 3rd March 2011, 11:25AM GMT.
An “all through” school could be created at Rhyn Park, St Martins, near Oswestry, for pupils aged three to 16.
Teachers from a village school in Shropshire could be made redundant and forced to re-apply for their positions if controversial merger proposals go ahead, it was claimed today.
Parents from Ifton Heath Primary School and Rhyn Park School and Performing Arts College, both near Oswestry, received letters from Shropshire Council about the possible merger.
One line in the five-page letter read: “If Ifton Heath Primary School were to close, the staff would be declared redundant.
“However, there is no reason why the staff could not be re-employed in the primary phase of the extended school, and this would be encouraged by the council.”
Last night Rhyn Park School held its annual forum, which was opened to parents to discuss the letter.
Meanwhile in Shrewsbury, digital media artist Andy McKeown, who has designed some of Blackpool’s illuminations, will light up the under-threat Wakeman School to try and help save it from the axe.
Mr McKeown, of Belle Vue, Shrewsbury, will put his skills to good use by lighting up the school on March 17 with the message WWW.WhyWasteWakeman?
The school is on a hit list of nine schools across the county set to be closed by Shropshire Council.
On Friday, Maesbury Primary School in Oswestry is due to welcome North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson through its gates.
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Rhyn Park has had falling numbers for years and is becoming less viable, whereas Ifton Heath is nearly at full capacity and is a viable school.
So to save Rhyn Park this merger is likely to go ahead. So the staff who have worked hard to maintain Ifton Heath as a viable school will be made redundant and made to reapply for their jobs. Whereas those at Rhyn Park (A less viable school). This is totally unjust and unfair and as Ifton is saving Rhyn Park, why should they have to pay for it? It comes as no surprise that Mr Hedge is pushing for it, no doubt to increase his responsibility and salary at the cost of other people’s jobs.
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As a former Head-Boy at Ifton School in the 1950′s and Goal-Keeper for the school team who beat Gobowen 15-0 under our Head-Master/Coach Mr Bridgewater….
It is perhaps time for myself + 2 * Other * Goalies who went to Ifton School …( One went on to play at International leval for Wales ) made time to air our views and save the threat of closure becoming reality…..
Suggestions please…..
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I don’t understand how anyone can think that a primary school’s worth of children can be transferred to a new site without having any dedicated specialist primary teachers to go with them. Are they suggesting that secondary teachers will then teach these children? Logically, the school would simply be transferred to a new site as a whole so why the need for redundancies? The numbers of children would remain the same. Am I missing something?
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