As well as saying St George's RC High in Walkden, Salford, should remain open, an independent adjudicator has suggested it take over a neighbouring flagship high school with spare capacity.
Staff and pupils were jubilant after a high-profile three-year campaign to save St George's paid off.
But council chiefs say it has thrown into jeopardy plans to rebuild three other Catholic secondary schools which were dependent on St George's closing.
Adjudicator Canon Richard Lindley said in coming to his decision his primary concern was to make sure school organisation was 'correct, fair and representative of parental wishes'.
He did not believe the closure of St George's - a successful and oversubscribed school - would meet this criteria.
Canon Lindley has suggested - although he has no power to impose it - that St George's should be relocated to Harrop Fold High School which is on the other side of a playing field.
Jubilant headteacher tears down closure notice
Click here to read more on the campaign
He says it is likely all of St George's 600 pupils and Harrop Fold's 750 could be accommodated there as Harrop Fold remains undersubscribed.
Harrop Fold has been turned round by 'super head' Antony Edkins after being put in special measures. It was rebuilt at a cost of £25m with PFI money and the new buildings opened two years ago.
A council source said a judicial review was the most likely route for town hall bosses to take.
Council leader John Merry said: "The adjudicator clearly agrees we have too many school places in that part of the city, but I am outraged that his solution is to shut Harrop Fold and give their building to St George's. I am sure many parents will agree with me."
St George's deputy head Pete Fisher said: "It is clear that having made a decision not to approve the proposed closure of St George's the adjudicator's powers end there. He has suggested alternatives and that's what are they are, suggestions."
Mr Edkins said: "Not once was Harrop Fold requested to provide evidence to support the adjudicator in his deliberations.
"We are surprised therefore to be a possible solution to the future of Roman Catholic education in Salford."
Councillor Merry added: "The council will stand by the pupils, parents, teachers and governors of Harrop Fold who have put an outstanding effort into their new school with great results for them and the community."
Jubilant headteacher tears down closure notice
Click here to read more on the campaign Tweet
Comments
Login or Register to comment
Diddums, diddums; Salford City councillors throwing their dummies out of their prams because they can't get what they want.
"Mr Mainwaring,Mr Mainwaring....They dont like it up em !"..Salford Council are demanding a judicial review,whereas the people of Salford are demanding a new Council.So Mr Merry please do not make promises on behalf of the Council to anyone.....
By all means Cllr Merry and his cronies can go to court...but hope the money for court expenses is coming from their OWN POCKET and not the tax payer!
and they are now trying to put 700 primary children into a new school in Langworthy with only 420 places and are just burying their heads in the sand about the other 280 who will not get in when the 3 schools in the area close.
Council leader John Merry said: "The adjudicator clearly agrees we have too many school places in that part of the city, but I am outraged that his solution is to shut Harrop Fold and give their building to St George's. I am sure many parents will agree with me."
Mr Merry please get your facts right and stop scaremongering - the adjudicator said "all pupils could be accommodated there" (Harrop Fold)
I'm absolutely appalled that the Salford Labour Cabinet are now considering wasting what could easily be in the region of £100,000 of public money on a judicial review - it absolutely stinks!
As for the comment by Harrop Fold's so-called 'super-head': his anti-faith secularist persuasion is well noted! Harrop Fold proves that pouring money into a failing school isn't going to turn things around. St. George's RC is an excellent school: by comparison Harrop Fold is diabolical - a rubbish school. St. George's RC is such a good school primarily because it is a well-run Catholic faith school with great staff and the wholehearted support of the community. By contrast, nobody would've mounted a campaign to save Harrop Fold like that which saved St. George's RC. Harrop Fold should've been closed - but Salford's Labour Cabinet made the idiotic decision to commit to a PFI contract.
Despite whatever Salford Labour may yet attempt, they will not get their evil way... St. George's RC has been saved, and saved it shall remain!
It is with a sad hart that I feel a need to put my thoughts into print, however I have come to the point of frustration, when public servants i.e. Salford City council members can not and will not accept an independent review. They feel it is best for myself and countless other parents to have no say in ever how or where my children get both a moral and academical education. They also feel they have the right to waste public money on seeking a judicial review over Canon Lidley’s (Schools Adjudicator) decision that St George’s RC High School should remain open.
I look forward to next may when hopefully we get a council that has better understanding of the people they are supposed to represent.
If people read the Adjudicator's determination - freely available on the "Office of the Schools Adjudicator" website (www.schoolsadjudicator.gov.uk) it states, in Paragraph 41 that he cannot impose a settlement, but can reject the one made; and that The Council and Diocese were already aware of the alternative approach ragrding HF
The Adjudicator does not use the terms 'suggest' or 'recommend' for this alternative approach. The only use of suggest is in Paragraph 43 with him suggesting that all other options might not have been fully considered.
I would suspect that The Office of the Schools Adjudicator would consult with solicitors to ensure the Determination is watertight and does not exceed its boundaries.
It has made a determination which all parties should now follow, rather than have a continued and prolonged period of rancour, animosity and inaction.
Wait a Mo,
Salford Council could take St Georges to Court as they WON their fight for survival?
I wish they would remember their history in their Handling of Catholic Education in Salford.
All of Salford's Catholic Education is 'Voluntary - Aided' 50% Council 50% Church
My memory of the action of the council in Church School Matters serves me well, but if my dates are out feel free to review them
1. Merger of Sacred Heart RC Grammar with Adelphi Grammar to Form Cathedral High RC (Late 70s)
2. Merger of Cathedral High RC with St Lawrences RC to Form Our Lady of Mt Carmel RC (1986)
3. Merger of Pope John Paul RC with Our Lady of Mt Carmel RC to form All Hallows RC (Late 90s)
Notice the time line - even with my rudimentary maths its 20 years of meddling. While all this was going on St Patricks at Eccles and St Georges at Little Hulton / Worsley were Safe from merger - with several applauding the fact on letters pages from the Salford Advertiser. Swinton's Schools were also given a reprieve during this period, and its only now (under the BSF proposals) are those schools looking over their shoulder.
You Can't Close St Pats!
You Can't Close St Georges!
You Can't Close Ambrose Barlow!
(Rightous Indigation from those school bodies who were lauding over previous closures - capitalising from them in the letters pages of the advertiser before the ink was dry on the consulations)
Feel free to go through your letters archives Mr Editor from that time period - Im sure the inks still drying!
After the Celebrations its time for some Quiet Contemplation from Our catholic high schools, the diocese and the LEA (who are probably looking for the loopholes in the adjudication)
So to finish, here's a few set 'suggestions' to follow the next time the 50% On the Schools Commission decide its time to close another High School
1. High Schools keep to their Catchment Areas
This is a No - Brainer! The main reason for the surplus places in the system is that thanks to the changes in the rules theres a loophole where High Schools can Advertise outside of the Areas of their feeder schools.....Its a loophole that needs to be plugged now before it turns into a black hole.
2. High Schools to Work TOGETHER for the benefit of those learning there.
This means no Canvassing of schools to poach the 'brightest' pupils - If Little Fred has got an overall SAT score of 90% plus and he's out of your area for pupils - Dont go Fishing!
This also means working with other schools to lift the rest up to the Bar - Instead of Bragging about Your Success in the local rag....Remember, you are working with young minds, and what you say about possible 'closures' can have a detrimental effect on their learning.
3. If something works well - share it with the other schools.
Scatter the seed of a Good idea and watch it Grow!
Only by the Catholic Schools Working TOGETHER can we save these schools for the future,
Otherwise the pattern of pick an RC school and close it will happen again and again.
I do hope Somebody from the bodies mentioned Read this and take it on Board.
Although I went to this school and am glad it isn't closing, I completely disagree with state supported religious schools. Religions use schools to indoctrinate children into their faith and the state should not be supporting such activities. Instead, children should not be influenced, but allowed to decide for themselves.
Agreed. Previous comments on other articles on this story have had people complaining they would have had to travel over an hour to access Catholic education had St Georges closed. This should be no concern of the state - if you choose to remove your children from mainstream education, that's your business, but nobody else should have to suffer as a result.
On the whole Christian faith schools provide a much better standard of education than secular state schools. The very reason why these faith schools excel is because of their faith-based ethos.
Indoctrination is very much a part of the secular state comprehensive school system. Children are indoctrinated into state approved secular humanism, political correctness and anti-faith moral relativism - and they are also indoctrinated into promiscuity and perversion by means of sex-ed.
h
To Councillors Merry & Warmisham
don't take this decision to court - it will only be a waste of money
after all you will need the £100K to pay for the ice rink again this year!
Could Councillor Merry please tell the Salford Council tax payers where the money for this court case will come from? This could cost millions of pounds with the rates of pay for Barristers, Lawyers and Solicitors. If it is to come out of the Education/Social Services budgets who loses out? Easy, the children of Salford. They have to pay so that Councillor Merry and his cronies don't lose face. Too late, Mr Merry you have already made yourselves a laughing stock.
For the sake of the education of children in Salford give it up. It is too late you have LOST.
People realise that insulting the parents of St George's whilst heaping praise on Harrop Fold is more to do with the fact that Harrop was built with PFI money, and the council are tied up with all that that entails for 25 years, than any other reason. Which school is oversubscribed? I don't think it is Harrop Fold!
The days of trying to pull the wool over people's eyes have gone Mr Merry and let's hope that the local elections next year get rid of this money wasting council.