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Parents have VICTORY in sight.
Apr 26 2001
Evening Gazette
Parents opposed to the closure of three special residential schools in Stockton claimed a small victory today as the plans came up against their first major hurdle.
Stockton Council education chiefs want to close Westlands, Bishopsmill and Saltergill schools and create two new schools.
But they were temporarily stopped in their tracks when the Stockton Schools Organisation Committee - an independent body made up of local authority, head teacher, school governor and diocese representatives - voted not to accept the proposals when it met yesterday.
But education chiefs still plan to take the next step and ask the Government to sanction the changes.
A group of parents who campaigned to stop the closures today hailed the setback as "brilliant".
Westlands mum Catherine Richardson, whose son Matthew, 12, attends the autism unit at the Thornaby school said the decision was the best possible.
"As parents we did all we could to voice our objections, it seems someone was listening."
Lesley Lonsdale, a parent governor at Westlands, said it was "fabulous" news.
She accused the LEA of putting the needs of pupils with severe emotional and behavioural difficulties at Bishopsmill and Saltergill before those with moderate learning difficulties and associated behavioural difficulties at Westlands - a school given an excellent grading by Ofsted.
The three schools cater for around 200 pupils aged from seven to 16.
Stockton Council wants to open a middle school for seven to 14-year-olds on the Westlands site in Thornaby and an upper school for older students on the Bishopsmill site at Norton by January 2002.
The Saltergill site at Kirklevington is expected to be sold.
Education chiefs said the decision to review the schools was taken for a number of reasons.
Falling pupil numbers was one, as well as concern - particularly by Bishopsmill and Saltergill - about being able to meet the needs of older children in a school with such a wide age range.
Councillor Alex Cunningham, cabinet member for education, today expressed his disappointment at the continuing uncertainty.
"No change is not an option and in the event of the existing proposal not being approved by the adjudicator the uncertainty could last considerably longer as the authority will need to explore other options - and bring forward new proposals for two schools to replace the existing three," he said.
"The LEA proposals offer tremendous opportunities for the development of special needs education and support for children within the borough, I now hope the schools adjudicator will recognise what we want to do provides the best solution for the youngsters in our care."
The schools adjuducator, appointed by the secretary of state, has the final say.
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Victory for Westlands. The proposed closure has been abandoned
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