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PTA chair Melanie Collins and disgruntled pupils at The Dale Primary
Fury at plans to axe two Marple schools
by Peter Devine and Jennifer Williams16/ 7/2008
PARENTS in Marple are coming to terms with the shock news of a massive schools shake-up which will result in two primaries being axed.
Under the proposals, The Dale school on Walton Drive and Peacefield School, on Cross Lane, will both close by August 2009. Children would then be transferred to Rose Hill, ahead of a brand new £7.2 million 500-pupil building sited at the Elmfield site by 2011.
However the plan has brought a furious reaction from parents, who have vowed to fight them all the way.
Melanie Collins, chairman of the Dale’s parent teacher association said the school would battle to stay open, while governor Scott Grayson claimed they had been treated ‘appallingly’ by the local authority.
At Peacefield, which is celebrating its golden jubilee this year, the governing body said it was ‘sad’ at the closure of an ‘excellent’ school.
In a letter sent home to Marple parents this week, Andrew Webb, Stockport Council’s corporate director for children and young people said: "Birth rates in Marple continue to fall and pupil numbers will not sustain the three schools in the future. The Council will therefore consider a proposal to merge the three high-performing schools into one, and has selected the Rose Hill grounds as the best site to create a new primary school building. Both the Peacefield and the Dale Primary schools will be proposed for closure, but all three buildings are in an unsuitable condition for the longer term."
In April, the Stockport Express revealed in a leaked council document that 15 schools, which included Peacefield and The Dale, faced an uncertain future after being higlighted due to surplus classroom places.
The figures revealed that in January 2008 The Dale had a surplus of 69 (34 per cent) and Peacefield had a surplus of 53(32.7 percent). The government charge local authorities with investigating schools with surplusses above 25 percent.
Councillor Mark Weldon, executive member for children and young people said: "This is a great opportunity to build on the success of all three schools in Marple. The new building will allow us to provide an excellent teaching environment in which the children of Marple can thrive and achieve."
Coun Peter Scott, Stockport Council’s Labour leader said he welcomed the moves.
"The move will have a big impact on Marple as it tries to remove surplus places. Equally, Marple might have a problem in getting the money for the new school from the Government bearing in mind it needs to fulfil the criteria as far as deprivation is concerned. However, Stockport Council has to bite the bullet and thank goodness they are getting on with this. It should have been tackled two or three years ago," he said.
Coun Les Jones, Conservative group leader, said: "We now know which schools will undoubtedly be closed in this tranche of closures. What concerns me is that the Lib-Dem Council has had this intention for months, knew which schools were on the list and has only now - a week before the summer holidays - made it public. I can only hope the consultation with parents will be genuine despite the counciI having already written a timetable. I would encourage concerned parents to take a full, active part."
Coun Jones added: "I am concerned that the council has not yet had final approval from the government for these plans or the money to go with them.".
A public meeting to discuss the move will be held at Marple Hall Secondary School on July 22, at 6pm.
Approval is also being sought at next Monday’s executive to approve the consultation to establish the new school; to approve publication of proposals to close Alexandra Park Infants and Juniors from August 31, 2009, and to build a new primary by September 2009.
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