Parents pack school hearing

Anxious parents vented their anger as they attended an 11th-hour meeting to save their school.

Schools Adjudicator Brian Slater hosted a meeting to help him decide the fate of Gillas Lane Primary School in Houghton.

The primary school was earmarked for closure earlier this year as part of Sunderland City Council’s proposals to tackle huge number of surplus places, but parents have been campaigning against the plans.

After a lengthy debate in the summer, Sunderland Council’s school organisation committee agreed to defer a decision.

Members were asked by education officials to give the final go-ahead for the axe to fall in August 2012, but they voted four to one in favour of deferring the decision into the hands of the Schools Adjudicator.

At last night’s meeting held at the school, Mr Slater heard views from the local authority, campaign group, Gillas Lane Action to Support Schools (Glass), and residents.

Speaking at the meeting, Glass chairman Dave Coulbeck said: “As parents and carers, we believe we have had a raw deal in this process. Our views and wishes have been sidelined.”

He claimed the proposal had been “misleading” and “poorly executed”.

Those fighting to save the school say its small class sizes are key to giving pupils a good grounding in life.

Earlier this year the authority announced plans to shut Gillas Lane and transfer pupils to nearby Bernard Gilpin Primary School.

Fighting back the tears, Gillas Lane headteacher Terry Hambleton, told the meeting: “What I firmly believe is that there is scope and room for two good schools in the area.

“We know their names, their families, what happens on a weekend, their strengths, what makes them tick.”

Parents and staff are worried about pupils going from a school of 130, with a nursery, to one of more than 400 without a nursery.

Representing the council, Keith Moore, deputy director of Children’s Services, said: “We absolutely understand as a local authority the difficulties and sensitivities of the proposal we are making and we want to acknowledge the excellent work of the school.

“But we have a responsibility and a duty to balance this with the clear duty to manage surplus places.”

Mr Slater will now consider all views before making a decision.

Taken from the Sunderland Echo

Parents’ last chance to save Gillas Lane Primary School

Battling parents are calling on the community for help in a last-ditch bid to save their school.

The Schools Adjudicator will be holding a meeting next week to help decide the fate of Gillas Lane Primary School.

The Houghton primary school was earmarked for closure earlier this year as part of Sunderland City Council’s proposals to tackle huge number of surplus places. Angry parents have been campaigning against the plans.

After a lengthy debate in the summer, Sunderland Council’s school organisation committee agreed to defer a decision on the closure.

Members were asked by education officials to give the final go-ahead for the axe to fall in August 2012, but they voted four to one in favour of deferring the decision into the hands of the Schools Adjudicator.

Now, Brian Slater, the adjudicator appointed to look at the case, will be holding at meeting in the school next Tuesday at 5.30pm to hear the views of those involved.

Anna Watson, a parent governor at Gillas Lane, said the campaign group, Gillas Lane Action to Support Schools wants as many people as possible to attend the meeting and show the strength of feeling.

She said: “There is still very strong support for the fight to prevent the school from closing. But this is our very, very last chance to save Gillas Lane. If it doesn’t go our way there is nothing else we can do.”

Earlier this year the authority announced plans to shut Gillas Lane, which has been rated as outstanding by Ofsted inspectors, and transfer pupils to nearby Bernard Gilpin Primary School.

The proposed move is part of a citywide shake-up, which would see the closure of seven primary and two nursery schools.

As well as closing Gillas Lane, over the next five years the council aims to build three new schools. One will replace Hetton Primary, Hetton Nursery and Eppleton Primary. Another will replace Bexhill and Town End Primary and the third will replace Hylton Red House Primary, Hylton Red House Nursery and Willowfields Community Primary.

Taken from Sunderland Echo