Wakeman supporters to take on Shirehall over closure
CAMPAIGNERS WILL be taking the fight to save Shropshire schools to the Shirehall when they deliver petitions opposing the closure proposals. CAMPAIGNERS WILL be taking the fight to save Shropshire schools to the Shirehall when they deliver petitions opposing the closure proposals. Teachers, parents and pupils from the Wakeman School in Abbey Foregate and the Stiperstones CE Primary School, near Shrewsbury, are organising separate events, designed to gain maximum exposure of their plight. On Thursday pupils and staff from the Wakeman, the only secondary school on a hitlist of nine county schools proposed to be closed by Shropshire Council, will march to the authority's headquarters. They will create a blaze of colour as they hand in a petition containing more than 7,000 signatures and an official response from the school's headteacher to the plans to axe it.
CAMPAIGNERS WILL be taking the fight to save Shropshire schools to the Shirehall when they deliver petitions opposing the closure proposals.
Teachers, parents and pupils from the Wakeman School in Abbey Foregate and the Stiperstones CE Primary School, near Shrewsbury, are organising separate events, designed to gain maximum exposure of their plight.
On Thursday pupils and staff from the Wakeman, the only secondary school on a hitlist of nine county schools proposed to be closed by Shropshire Council, will march to the authority's headquarters.
They will create a blaze of colour as they hand in a petition containing more than 7,000 signatures and an official response from the school's headteacher to the plans to axe it.
And on Friday, the deadline for the council's official consultation to end, campaigners from Stiperstones School will make a dramatic entrance in a bus and a float as they prepare to hand over a petition of about 2,000 names in addition to their official response.
Heather Dale, from the school's steering group, said that youngsters from the school would arrive at the Shirehall by bus before jumping on the float to belt out a rendition of their campaign song Don't Go Stiperstones in front of education chiefs.
Mrs Dale said: "We are going to park up there at the Shirehall and then we are going to play our song. We have got a bus load of people already and think there will still be more to come."
Karen Moore, headteacher of the Wakeman, said that in addition to the school's petition, a further petition, the Parent's Pledge would be handed over.
Ros Mountain, assistant head at the school, said: "We will be a colourful sight as we march up the road with brightly coloured umbrellas, T-shirts and balloons."
She added: "The Wakeman is a fantastic school at the heart of the community, we cannot allow these proposals to go ahead."
Shropshire Council claims it is tackling issues such as empty classroom spaces and a lack of funding for pupils.
By Russell Roberts
