Post by: wolfman on December 13, 2007, 09:45:48 AM
Local authority bosses say the continued high numbers of small primaries in the borough, many of which have numerous empty places, are not feasible - and to save money some will inevitably have to be culled.
Richard Bates, Service Director for Learning and Achievement, confirmed to the Express that his department is considering "which schools will be removed from the system", with a decision expected next year.
And one councillor fears the axe may well fall in Heald Green and Marple.
Edgeley and Cheadle Heath Councillor Sheila Bailey said: "There is a review; some schools will close. The schools that are likely to be looked at are in the Marple and Heald Green areas.
"There are huge numbers of surplus places in schools in those areas - the whole thing should have been done years ago."
Six primary schools were closed in 2004 when Stockport Council first began to tackle what was then a 4,000-place surplus.
Despite an outcry from parents, schools in Romiley, Reddish, Cheadle Hulme and Offerton were closed - and even Romiley Primary, a school that was actually oversubscribed, was very nearly forced to close too.
Coun Bailey added: "If they make as big a mess as they did with the Romiley situation then they’re in for some difficulties."
Since the last set of closures the Council has been reviewing all the borough’s primaries, weighing up various criteria including falling school rolls.
But with a 10 percent surplus of primary places remaining despite the previous closures, politicians say something must and will be done soon.
Heatons North Councillor Tom McGee said: "A decision is imminent. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a range of primaries down for at least merger and at worst closure.
"We need to make bold decisions. We need to have a system that parents have confidence in, that will last."
A spokesman for the Council said: "After wide consultation with headteachers and governors, the process of assessment which all schools will be measured on was agreed.
"Following the assessment a number of schools and areas were identified as needing to be reviewed.
"Since June 2007 the Council has been working with the identified schools to consider potential future options.
"However, no firm decision has been made regarding the future of any of these schools and the Council is still exploring all possibilities."
Post by: wolfman on December 19, 2007, 05:33:35 PM
Post by: eeyore21 on December 19, 2007, 07:52:11 PM
Post by: Lisa Oldham on December 20, 2007, 12:58:06 PM
I suppose the choice "might" be how much money the council can make from the land after its gone....
"Lovely" lot of demolition going on at my old primary Barrack Hill which was a beautiful old building. No primaries close by to replace so no doubt lots more kids being driven to school round there... still LOADS of building space!!
I know the Dale fought rumoured closures off a number of times over the years and I expect they will suffer from yet another new rumour - people dont enrol their children in schools that might be up for closure. Still at least the local kids have another local school close by
Post by: wolfman on April 02, 2008, 11:23:21 AM
Post by: Tricky on April 02, 2008, 11:54:07 AM
thanks
| Quote |
| THE Stockport Express can reveal the names of 15 primary schools facing an uncertain future. A confidential document leaked to the paper identifies schools in North Marple, South Marple, Heald Green, Edgeley and Brinnington - including Roman Catholic and Church of England faith schools. The figure goes beyond the number of schools quoted in an exclusive story in the Express last December, when we revealed that up to ten schools faced the axe as the Council seek to cut classroom surplusses because of the falling birth rate. Schools listed in the document include; The Dale, Peacefield, Rose Hill and All Saints in North Marple. Brookside and High Lane in South Marple. Outwood and Bolshaw in Heald Green. Edgeley schools Alexandra Park Infants, and Alexandra Park Juniors. Faith schools including St Joseph’s RC in the town centre, St Mary’s RC, Heaton Norris, St Ambrose, Adswood, and St Mary’s CofE, South Reddish Tame Valley in Brinnington The document - entitled ‘Primary School Organisation Strategy’ - was prepared by Michael Jameson, the service director and strategic lead for primary school organisation on Stockport Council. An education source told the Express this week: "It is undoubtedly true that schools will close. "I know that the consultations have been going on for a number of months and the schools in Marple have been talking among themselves about what is in the best long-term interest of the pupils, and have come to an agreement." However, a Council spokesman denied schools would face closure and said: "We can confirm that we are in discussions with these primary schools, but there are no plans to close the schools. "We are working positively with the headteachers and chairs of governors at several schools, including faith schools and their diocesan representatives, to discuss a range of options. "The Council stresses that no final decision has been taken." Nevertheless, Councillor Les Jones, the leader of Stockport’s Conservatives, believes schools do face closure and demanded the local authority put parents, children and teaching staff in the picture. Responding to the news Coun Jones said: "It’s typical of this Lib-Dem mal-administration. "They are not capable of running this borough. There are fewer things of more concern to parents than their children’s education. It sets a child up for life but if it fails it has the potential to injure that child for life. "Why is it that it has taken so long to get to the next round of school closures?" Mr Jameson confirmed there had been "slippage from the original timescales". He also added "progress in the faith schools has been somewhat slower due to the complexities in ensuring diocesan strategies for primary education are considered alongside that of Stockport Council’s." A Council spokesman added: "Proposals will be made to the Council executive in July 2008 and, if agreed, a formal consultation process would begin involving pupils, parents/carers, governors, teaching and other school staff, and the local community including ward councillors. People will have a chance to have their say and their views will be taken into account before the Council makes its final decisions. The Council’s principal aims are to continue to provide the highest possible quality of education for local children, and to make improvements to benefit the future of primary education in the borough." |
Post by: Marpleian on April 02, 2008, 01:50:14 PM
Post by: wolfman on April 02, 2008, 03:26:25 PM
Post by: twinkletoes on April 09, 2008, 01:09:54 PM
The council is killing our town!
Post by: Dave on April 09, 2008, 02:05:52 PM
It's all our fault, of course - if we were more active between the sheets then we wouldn't be in this position!
Post by: Howard on April 09, 2008, 09:11:35 PM
To take this theory a little further, Rose Hill is the larger school, and already has many pupils who are from the All Saints and Peacefield catchment areas who could be moved back to the schools in their immediate locality. If they were moved back to their nearest schools then this would leave capacity in Rose Hill for Dale pupils to move in. I think that The Dale would not be big enough to take the remaining Pupils from Rose Hill.
My guess is that The Dale is the most likely to close. I have no insider knowledge, just looking at it logically. I'm happy to be proved wrong as I went to the Dale myself!
Post by: Dave on April 10, 2008, 09:13:59 AM
| Quote (Howard @ April 09 2008,21:11) |
| Rose Hill is the larger school, and already has many pupils who are from the All Saints and Peacefield catchment areas who could be moved back to the schools in their immediate locality. If they were moved back to their nearest schools then this would leave capacity in Rose Hill for Dale pupils to move in. |
Howard's argument is perfectly logical, but the process has to be a slow and phased one - I don't think the Council would get away with moving kids from school to school like that.
Post by: Lisa Oldham on April 11, 2008, 01:33:14 PM
I understand All Saints has got a very good new Head teacher and the popularity of the school is growing already so that will help their chances.
..and then theres the possibly controversial argument.. which has got the most/best land to develop and so make the most money for the council!!
Post by: Dave on April 11, 2008, 02:06:49 PM
| Quote (Lisa Oldham @ April 11 2008,13:33) |
| ..and then theres the possibly controversial argument.. which has got the most/best land to develop and so make the most money for the council!! |
Of course - it's a no-brainer! And on the face of it the Dale or Rose Hill would seem to be the most likely to get planning consent for housing.
Post by: computerdad on July 12, 2008, 07:15:24 PM
This sounds like a lot of disruption for the kids.
The project will cost at least 7.2 million of which 1.4m will come from selling the Dale site.
Details and documents can be found at :
http://thedaleprimary.proboards103.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=1&page=1
I am sure more details will appear soon.
If you dont like the proposals make your voice heard.
Post by: Dave on July 13, 2008, 07:38:44 AM
It's a very difficult issue, which most local authorities are having to tackle throughout the country - Stockport has got round to it rather belatedly.
Primary schools are closing and merging in order to cope with the falling pupil numbers over the coming years. It's inevitably disruptive to children's education when it happens. But it's hard to see an alternative - if we 'make our voices heard' then we really need to come up with another way of coping with the falling numbers. :-\
Post by: admin on July 13, 2008, 08:48:45 AM
Post by: computerdad on July 13, 2008, 05:46:51 PM
I agree some sort of action is inevitable. If you look at the documents on the linked forum you will see that the closure of Peacefield is the part of the council plan that delivers the reduction in school places by 210 places.
The closure of the Dale however appears to be a separate issue around creating a big "super School" by merging Rose Hill and the Dale, possibly to reduce running costs, funded mainly by central government grants. Many parents at all three schools will feel that bigger is not always better and the disruption involved for the children at these schools and the effective destruction of The Dale and Rose Hill as small successful schools is simply not worth it.
Post by: computerdad on July 13, 2008, 08:03:15 PM
http://thedaleprimary.proboards103.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1&page=1
This is open to anyone affected not just parents from the dale. It has been up just over a day and has already had nearly 200 hits and 18 posts.
ps I have no direct connection with the site !!
Post by: computerdad on July 21, 2008, 09:27:11 PM
The dale forum site is now www.SaveTheDale.co.uk
There is a public meeting at the Bradshaw building at Marple Hall school with representatives from the Council on Tuesday 22nd July ( tomorrow at 6pm
There is an interview with Bev Owen press secretary Dale PTA on Pure FM 107.8FM at 11.30 and 16.30 tomorrow
Post by: andy+kirsty on July 22, 2008, 10:22:44 AM
I was a student at the Dale, I lived with my parents on Claremont, my friend lived three doors up, he went to Rosehill. We both got fantastic educations, I'm not sure howmany of the teachers are still there now but I'm sure the quality of staff across all sites are comparable and very good.
Whilst change for some can be a daunting prospect for others it is a great opportunity, and in an area such as education it is very important to move forward. I feel for the teachers, I work in education and have been shortlisted for redundancy because of restructures a couple of times, there is nothing you can do about it!
The fact which stands is that due to falling birth rates there are fewer children and so we do not need as many schools, Marple does seem to have a massive number of schools per head of population, don't forget that it happened to Doodfield a couple of years ago so it is nothing new. - the lowest yeargroup so far is progressing into year 10, so sixthforms will get hit in 2 years time and the restructure will start all over again!
schools are businesses, its a sad fact, there is only so far local councils and central government can go to support them, but if there is a chance for better facilities I think that it will be great news for the pupils. My mother works at one of the largest primary in stockport - Didsbury Rd in Heaton Mersey with well over 500 pupils, and the community it has surrounding it is second to none, all of the parents in a two mile radius know one and other and so do the children, it has brought many different religions, backgrounds and races together.
Whilst I think it is commendable that parents want to support their local school have they stopped to think what they, the community and future generations could be gaining from merging the schools?
Andy
Post by: rpreece on July 22, 2008, 02:06:33 PM
Given the fall in numbers in Marple as a whole - there is a good argument for closing one school, but to close two would be a great loss to the community. Schools dont just provide resources to children - they also serve to link parents and families together. They provide venues for clubs and other activities. This provision of social capital is hard to put a value on, but could be significantly reduced in creating a very large 500-550 pupil school.
I wondered if the council have considered leaving three schools in Marple all with one form entry. This would meet all the projected capacity needs based on the estimated head count and ensure that there was sufficient critical mass to be able to provide the necessary specialist resources needed.
If there are further economies of scale - could not the schools share some specialist resources between them in some form of federation?
The promise of a £7.5m rebuild is very attractive - but why is this money only available on closing multiple schools?
I hope to hear from the council what options they have considered in addition to the one proposed.
RP
Post by: Dave on July 22, 2008, 03:12:02 PM
The promise of a £7.5m rebuild is very attractive - but why is this money only available on closing multiple schools?
I believe the Dale site is to be sold for housing, with a price tag of £1.4 million, which is going towards part of the cost of the new build. If all three sites were kept going, presumably this money would not be available.
Our kids certainly deserve better school buildings than many of them have at the moment.
Post by: Dave on July 23, 2008, 01:58:30 PM
This government goes on and on about choice - parental choice, patient choice etc. The way things are going, we'll be offered a choice of fire crew next time the chip pan catches fire. ;D
However, if this proposal goes through, there will be only two primary schools left in Marple (I'm not counting Marple Bridge, Mellor or High Lane). Not so long ago there were five. So while our government tells us about all the wonderful choice we have, it's actually being taken away.
Post by: wolfman on July 31, 2008, 11:17:28 AM
The Executive was informed that the number of surplus places at nearby Peacefield and The Dale Primary Schools are expected to rise considerably by 2012 (53.7% and 36.9% respectively).
The closure of the two schools has been proposed in order to meet Government requirements, around schools with more than 25% surplus places and because of the poor condition of the buildings.
The Council is applying for government funding to create a new 2.5 form entry school on the Rose Hill Primary School site on Elmfield Drive. This new school building would replace the existing three schools, each of which are over 40 years old and in poor condition. The new building would reflect current thinking on green sustainable approaches, and offer the flexible learning spaces of contemporary designs.
In the consultation process, which begins early in September, the Council will be seeking the views of a wide range of people and groups including teachers and other school staff, children, families of pupils, governors, other schools which may be affected, trade unions, diocesan authorities, MPs, local councillors, and neighbouring local authorities.
Councillor Mark Weldon, Executive Member for Children and Young People, said: "Multi-million pound government funding could be allocated to Stockport once the Council has agreed a plan of priorities with the government. One priority is to reduce the number of surplus places caused by a fall in the birth rate. Another priority is to make long-term improvements to schools to ensure they provide the best possible learning facilities for children and communities for the next 50 years.
"We are not able to sustain the current number of primary schools. This is why we are currently working very closely in several areas to discuss a range of options for the future of some schools. The Executive agreed that the formal consultation process will begin in the north Marple area in the autumn."
taken from Stockport.gov website author unknown.
Post by: computerdad on August 05, 2008, 01:54:41 PM
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/savethedale/
Which reads
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to stop the
proposal to close The Dale and Peacefield Schools in Marple,
Stockport and create a "Super School" by expanding Rose Hill
Primary School
We believe that the proposal to close the Dale and Peacefield
Primary Schools and to expand Rose Hill Primary School into a
'super school' is not the answer to surplus primary places in
Marple. We believe that this proposal can only have a
detrimental impact on the education of our children, the local
residents to the three schools and on parental choice of where
and what type of school to send their children to. An action
group has been formed to propose alternative plans. All three
schools provide excellent education and are not failing. We
believe the alternatives should be given proper consideration
and that the Stockport MBC proposal is not in the best
interests of the children parents or residents of Marple.
If you agree with this please follow the link and sign !
Post by: LittleBiker on August 14, 2008, 11:43:49 PM
1. where is the rest of the extention cost for rose hill going to come from.
the tax payer ?
or do they have something up their sleeves.
IE selling peacefield off (as it was mentioned it is up for closure )and replacing it with what....because no-one has mentioned what they are going to do with peacefield or the land it sits on.
Post by: Dave on August 15, 2008, 10:38:54 AM
so they have estimated building cost's for rose hill primary at 7.2 million.where is this money going to come from. some 1.4 million from the sale of the buildings at the dale site ( which the council have said are old buildings and in need of repair ). my question is
1. where is the rest of the extention cost for rose hill going to come from.
The 1.4 million for the Dale is for the land, which will presumably be used for new housing. The existing school buildings will no doubt be demolished.
The remainder of the capital funding, we are told, is to come from the government - perhaps via its PFI scheme, 'Building Schools for the Future'?
Post by: heather on August 16, 2008, 06:37:30 PM
Post by: andy+kirsty on August 21, 2008, 06:37:46 PM
isn't it strange that peacefield has a field adjoining the ridge collage on buxton lane and there has been talk for a long time about one of the collages :-Closing. maybe the answer to the question where is the money coming from is answered there. it is one big piece of land when looked at as a whole. :-X
I don't think that land will be sold off for housing, although it is a large plot...
Post by: heather on August 21, 2008, 08:39:26 PM
Post by: Lisa Oldham on August 25, 2008, 07:55:54 PM
park land, play areas, youth initiative's, state of the art..
is that a pig up there :P
Post by: heather on August 25, 2008, 08:05:34 PM
Post by: Ali Bee on August 30, 2008, 03:26:04 PM
The strength of small Primary Schools is just that, they are small, pupils and all the staff know who each pupil is by name and fame/infamy :P!
Post by: wolfman on September 09, 2008, 06:48:18 PM
Wednesday 3 September
The Council Needs Your Views On Marple Primary Schools Review.
'Tell us what you think' - that's the message to people in Marple and surrounding areas on Stockport Council's plans for local primary schools which go out to public consultation for two months from Monday 8th September.
The Council wants to continue to improve the quality of education and build a new primary school serving the Marple area. This will mean closing The Dale and Peacefield Primary Schools and expanding Rose Hill Primary School.
The changes would:
Improve the learning environment to benefit staff, pupils, their families and communities;
Address the poor conditions of the existing buildings;
Make best use of limited resources with more money spent on the pupils of Marple through increased direct investment into schools;
Tackle the falling numbers of pupils, reducing the number of empty places in schools.
The new eco-friendly school would be an up-to-date education environment with improved spaces for staff to plan and deliver outstanding teaching. It would lead to a secure future for education in Marple for the next 60 years.
Councillor Mark Weldon, Executive Member for Children & Young People, said: "We want to hear your views about the proposals and what difference you would like it to make. We also want to hear how we could make the changes as smooth as possible, and what you think a new school would need to deliver for the benefit of pupils, their families, staff and the wider community."
Organisations and individuals to be consulted include schools, pupils, staff, parents/carers/families, governors, families of potential future pupils, trade unions, Diocesan Authorities, local residents, MPs, local councillors, and early years/child care providers.
Drop in sessions will take place during the afternoon and evening at The Dale, Rose Hill and Peacefield Primary Schools - exact dates to be confirmed.
People are invited to respond in several ways:
Complete and return the consultation response form, which are available from the Council website visit www.stockport.gov.uk/education and click on the link to School Organisation.
Attend a public drop-in session.
Write a letter to the Schools Organisation Team, FREEPOST, 3rd Floor, Stopford House, Piccadilly, Stockport, SK1 3XE
email schools.organisation@stockport.gov.uk.
Fax 0161 953 0012.
All responses must be received by the Council by Friday 7th November.
After the consultation, the Council will review the responses and make a recommendation to the Executive. If the Executive agrees to the proposal, statutory notices will be published and there will be a six-week representation period during which any comments or objections can be submitted to the Council. The final decision will then be made on whether to implement the proposal. If the decision is to implement the proposal, the Council will begin the process of designing the building.
from the Stockport.gov website author unknown
Post by: Marplian on September 18, 2008, 05:49:55 PM
Post by: Jo Scarlett on September 30, 2008, 11:09:21 PM
As you will be aware, the proposal is to close The Dale and Peacefield Primary Schools and build a new 'state of the art' school on the Rose Hill site. As a parent at one of the schools, I have been given various documents by SMBC so that I am fully informed and feel part of the consultation!
However, I'm not sure whether all Marple residents have been given this opportunity? This will have an impact on the whole community, not just those of primary aged children.
Things to consider are:-
What will happen to the land of the Peacefield and The Dale sites? Building cannot take place on the green space only the footprint of the actual school buildings - what will they build, more housing, retirement accommodation - what will the impact of this be on Marple?
Will the buildings be demolished or boarded up and left - for how long? Look how long Barrack Hill has been a pile of rubble.... Do we want that eyesore on our doorstep?
How will Marple cope with the increased traffic should we get more houses on these plots?
If we get more houses, will they be family homes - if so, can the proposed new school cope with the increased numbers?
Do we want more housing? Can they not clear the plots and give us more green space?
Could one of the buildings be kept in part for the use of the community?
What access points will the construction vehicles use when building the new school on the Rose Hill site?
These are not my opinions or suggestions, they are simply to provoke thought about the wider issues around this proposal. My concerns are for my children and their education during the primary years.
Please take some time to think about this, should you want answers to any of your questions and wish to fill in the consultation document, it is available via SMBC website (although it is difficult to find) or you can use the link below.
http://www.stockport.gov.uk/content/educationservices/pcpcc230408/marpleconsultresponseform?a=5441ftp://
Post by: Lisa Oldham on October 01, 2008, 11:27:08 AM
Post by: Rudolph Hucker on October 01, 2008, 12:13:31 PM
Post by: Jo Scarlett on October 01, 2008, 12:22:24 PM
Please make your concerns heard, use the consultation document, once this goes ahead we will have little or no say, now is the time to ensure that our voices are heard. I too, noticed how dreadful the traffic was this morning (probably due to the poor weather) and it can only get worse with parents from the 2 closed schools coming to Rose Hill to add to the congestion in the future. SMBC need to put in firm plans to ensure that Marple doesn't come to a grinding halt every morning. This will also coincide with the work on Dan Bank - lots of construction vehicles around - how safe will that be?
Sorry to go on, its just that I don't feel that people without children at the schools involved are giving this much thought -- over the next 2/3 years this may well cause havoc for everyone who lives in Marple.
Joanne
Post by: Lisa Oldham on October 01, 2008, 05:00:31 PM
and no i agree lack of consideration is not the preserve of rosehill parents except at 8:45 directly outside rosehill gates in hte middle of 2rows of traffic going both ways dropping kids off and when I'm trying to leave my road and then it is :p
Post by: Rudolph Hucker on October 01, 2008, 05:49:48 PM
Post by: Jo Scarlett on October 02, 2008, 11:34:21 AM
A couple of points which came to light were that SMBC are not obliged to inform residents of their proposal, however they will be putting something in the Stockport Express in the near future. Also that the new build school at Rose Hill will be a 2 storey building, surely this is relevant if you back onto the school?
Post by: Lisa Oldham on October 02, 2008, 02:48:35 PM
Two storey.. well my mum does back on to rosehill and it certainly will affect the outlook so will make sure she knows that too
THanks Jo S :)