Wakeman decision ‘too important’ for Shropshire Council cabinet
Friday 25th March 2011, 11:29AM GMT.
The decision to keep the Wakeman School open is “too important” to be judged by Shropshire Council’s cabinet, it has been claimed.
Diane Younger, the school’s assistant head, issued the warning at yesterday’s tense and impassioned public consultation meeting on county education cuts.
More than 230 people attended the event in the Wakeman School hall.
Mrs Younger said only two members of the cabinet had Shrewsbury links and the decision was of such significance the rulebook should be cast aside and the matter decided by more councillors.
“The decision will be down to the cabinet,” said Mrs Younger.
“There are only two councillors in the cabinet who represent Shrewsbury and the decision is far too important to be taken by a small number of people.”
Visitors to the school were greeted by a protest message illuminating the building, by digital artist Andy McKeown, and student placards and live music.
Educations chiefs gave a short presentation of their proposals but said plans to close the school were necessary because pupils numbers continue to dip.
Tim Smith, the council’s assistant director for children and young people’s services, said they were facing a diminishing young population across the county as well as budget cuts.
Norrie Porter, the council’s head of premises and planning, said the trend of falling pupil numbers was likely to reverse in the town with plans for about 8,000 houses in coming years.
He added the town would probably need a new school in the 2020s but the Wakeman would still not be looked on favourably because of the location of new builds.
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This was a great point to raise as our lovely town is now run from outside of shrewsbury sadly we all want the best for our children except those who propose and back this vandalism to the town keep it open and use it as it’s part of the town that once lost can never be replaced.
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It was also admitted in the consultation meeting last night that they will have to build a new school in the near future to cope with the rise in pupils population.
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I think I am correct in saying that the famous poet Wilfred Owen once attended this school, we don’t have many famous people from Shrewsbury compared to other towns, surely we could find a way of keeping the school open, even considering a multi use option.
Correct……. once lost that’s it. Too many town councils have made decisions that they later regret…. don’t let this be one of them.
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The Council’s Education Chief David Taylor said last night that The Wakeman provides a good education for its pupils.
The Council also admitted last night that they will need to build a new school in Shrewsbury in the near future if they close the Wakeman. Pupil numbers are set to rise soon.
The Council says it is acceptable for children from Wakeman to walk up to 3 miles to Meole Brace School if the school closes. And in fact for any child to walk up to 3 miles to secondary school – hence you don’t get free transport if you live within 3 miles of your nearest school.
The new housing developments that this new school is going to serve will be within 3 miles of the Wakeman but the reason for the new school is that these new housing developments will be too far away from the Wakeman. So is 3 miles too far or not? If it is, kids should stay at the Wakeman and if not the Wakeman should serve the new housing developments.
Why is the Wakeman school being closed? It makes no sense and is an indefensible waste of tax payers money.
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If Norrie Porter were to read his Shirehall Planning colleagues’ Local Development Framework he would discover that his housing figures are off-beam.
6,500 are planned for Shrewsbury between now and 2026 and they will be scattered all over the town – 60% on previously developed sites. The Gay Meadow, Spring Gardens, Ellesmere Road and the Flaxmill are some of the bigger sites that will be developed first – within a stone’s throw of the Wakeman.
And not all flashy, single-person apartments either. The bottom has fallen out of this market and developers at the moment struggle to get finance for anything other than family homes.
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