Wakeman School to challenge closure decision – video report

Thursday 8th September 2011, 1:00PM BST.

Can’t see video? Update Adobe Flash Player
Video may take a moment to load. Return to Video Index

Officials at Shrewsbury’s Wakeman School today said they would launch a legal challenge to save it, 24 hours after Shropshire Council agreed to its closure.

Campaigners from the school in Abbey Foregate said they were disgusted by yesterday’s decision.

The axe came just weeks after they celebrated its best ever GCSE results.

Cabinet members agreed with recommendations to shut the school after a near two-and-a-half-hour debate at Shirehall during which parents, staff and pupils made last ditch pleas to save it from closure.

But after hearing that the school’s pupil numbers had fallen to a point where it was no longer sustainable, members voted to axe the school, with the closure due to come into effect in August 2013.

However, officials today said they had major concerns over how the public consultation carried out.

Wakeman headteacher Karen Moore said: “There are huge concerns about the process and this will be refe- rred to the ombudsman and the Schools’ Adjudicator.”

Helen Fletcher, of Castlefields, who has a child at the school with another due to start next year, said she and other parents had compl ained to the ombudsman.

But Councillor Aggie Caesar-Homden, cabinet member for education, today claimed she had no concerns about the way the consultation and processes had been carried out by the council.

By Russell Roberts

View more: Shrewsbury news, Wakeman news.

1
Schizoidmum

September 8, 2011 at 11:50

“But after hearing that the school’s pupil numbers had fallen to a point where it was no longer sustainable, members voted to axe the school”

Yes, they have really dropped this year but, guess what, the council said they were closing the school. What did they expect!

Lousy excuse for a lousy decision!

Report abuse
2
mark carolan

September 8, 2011 at 12:09

A blinkered decission brought on by the value of building and sports field 4 5 maybe 6 million maybe with the money they could get the spine moved from outside theatre severn and stick it outside shire hall to remind shrewsbury torys that they should fight for us not their masters in oswestry and ludlow as this school should be a thriving school as it has good access for many as it is central many kids will now have to walk miles in all weather or use 4 busses a day at 1,25 a bus good work for this council shows it really cares.

Report abuse
3
twiggo

September 8, 2011 at 14:35

If Shropshire Council is so convinced that they have done the right thing and have a strong case, why aren’t they referring it for external scrutiny to allay the many concerns that the community has raised? If they haven’t flouted the rules, they have nothing to fear. Right?

Report abuse
4
Helen Fletcher

September 10, 2011 at 18:45

I don’t understand how Aggie Caesar-Homden can possibly say she has no concerns about the proposal and consultation.

Lots of people (including me) have complaints about the closure which the Ombudsman is investigating at the moment. These aren’t little details or technicalities, they are issues fundamental to the whole proposal without which the case for closure just doesn’t hold water- eg the Council’s projected pupil figures for the school. These issues have already gone through the Council’s own complaints procedure and the Council has been unable to answer them (I believe because it doesn’t have answers). The issues have then been referred to the Ombudsman, who has assessed them and decided to investigate.

The Ombudsman oversees Council decisions. If he has decided to investigate our complaints then there are, by definition, concerns about the proposal and consultation.

In situations such as this, Councils usually delay decisions until they know what the Ombudsman says, or refer cases on to the Schools Adjudicator to ensure that the right decision is made. I think that it is very telling that Shropshire Council, despite knowing about the involvement of the Ombudsman, has decided to press on regardless with the vote to close. It doesn’t mean that they will win, though. Long live Wakeman!

Report abuse
5
Mike Manning

September 14, 2011 at 05:43

Having been involved in the H.O.W. Campaign over 20years ago to save the Wakeman School from closure due then to falling pupil numbers. A comment used again and again by short sited Councillors blinked by the prospect of creating a town council in the building, if they had been able to close the school. They lost that battle and the School stayed open to the delight of families living in the area.
To again attack this School in the manner the Council have used stops short of callous misuse of trust and well-being of the pupils at this School that over the years has struggled with constraints put on it by the education department. The so-called consultation period did nothing to protect the pupil numbers other than to make parents of children at the School or prospective pupils wanting to move to or stay at this majestic building very nervous, one which the Council have spent millions on over the last few years.
A near cynical approach to consultation knowing full well that by bringing the information into the lime light they would be able to close the building by rum-ours and miss information.
Aggie Caesar-Homden hail Brutus I hope this ill thought out decision gives you many years of sleepless nights for the act you are committing with the closure of this School. Falling roles a bit fat red herring with the proposed house building taking place during the next five years in Shrewsbury, indeed in the back yard of the School 175 homes are too be built. I just wonder if what was talked about all those years ago will now come to pass. Council offices in a prime building in a prominent position with its own built in gym. Shame shame on the committee that has carried out its destruction on a well positioned School with a once well balanced pupil ratio from all walks of life to scattering pupils over a wide radius just to obtain this building. A simple task would have been to join forces the Priory and Meole into a large academy School.

Report abuse