I got in from an urgent governors meeting at Downside School this evening to find an email from the Tory Cabinet Member for Closing & Scaring Schools, seeking to 'clarify' my understanding of the new plans to close Downside.
My response stands alone and is as follows:
"Your interpretation of the presentation made to school governors at the Newport Area meeting last Thursday would reveal you as being out of step with what your education officers are saying. They were certainly NOT saying last Thursday that the building 'as required' of a new 'Pan Primary School' on the Downside site will 'coincide with the build of the new development'. Unless, that is, you mean it will coincide with the last few years of the development - a development that will take at least 10 years plus to complete. In which case, your 'clarification' is worthless as the community - and the school governors - do not want an empty site for the early years of the development. We require continuity. Can you guarantee that ? Any distress to the Pan community has been caused by you and the Council leadership telling us that Downside was safe in all three original options, but then stabbing us in the heart with these latest plans. I have been, as ever, open with the people I represent."
4 comments:
I never knew you were a Minor Threat fan Geoff.
Great band, shame about their views on alcohol though.
Did you notice that proportionally many more state schools will be axed than C of E schools? The words "Favouritism" and "Elitism" spring to mind, when those schools are able to be quietly selective over the students they take...
Yeah, well spotted, close the best schools not just the bad ones!
And it seems you're wrong about Pan and Downside. The Middle school must close as it's er, a middle school! The new school on that site will be a primary!
Maybe so. But when ? Certainly not for some years. Or will it be a lower school to Medina instead ? Read the whole document - and then tell me they know what they are doing ! In which case you are daft as they are. But then I know that already.....
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