EDUCATION bosses have been slammed after altering a school’s catchment area to cope with the loss of Sale primary Cherry Manor.

The Cherry Lane school, which served the Sale West estate, was closed last year due to dwindling pupil numbers, while neighbouring primary school The Firs is being expanded to take on the extra children.

But despite spending £1.5m on making The Firs bigger, the council has drawn up plans that mean some youngsters who had expected to go there will instead attend Woodheys Primary – a move which has infuriated one parent.

The man, whose child attends Woodheys, said he first heard of the new proposal through a school newsletter issued this year – even though the council said it started to consult on the plans in September.

He said: “I am sure that if people had been aware of the planned changes, it would have affected the choices that parents made for this year’s admissions process.

“Why have the proposals changed from those in the public consultation carried out prior to the closure of Cherry Manor?

“Millions have already been spent on expanding The Firs. And what will the impact be on Woodheys?

“We have been fortunate at Woodheys in the support that our pupils get from their parents, and from the quality of the intake we receive each year, but this can change.”

Stephen Farndon was among those who led the campaign to keep Cherry Manor open.

He said: “Yet again, the council has failed in the areas of communication and planning, thus creating fear and confusion.

“It seemed obvious to most people that as soon as the council had decided to close Cherry Manor this would put pressure on all neighbouring schools.

“The people at the council who take these decisions should be prepared to face their responsibility to communicate them to the people they affect – they should not expect schools to do this for them.

“Woodheys’ parents should have been informed directly 12 months ago.”

Chris Pratt, Trafford Council’s corporate director of children and young people’s services, said that, since September 2008, families had been consulted on a proposal for Woodheys Primary School and The Firs to share a catchment area.

He said: “We are required to review our admission arrangements every year, in particular to ensure that they comply with the new code of practice.”

Mr Pratt confirmed a major aim of the consultation was to ensure children from the old Cherry Manor catchment area who live nearer to Woodheys are able to go there, a move he said was consistent with government guidelines.

“This proposal was sent to all the schools and notification of the consultation process was published in the media in December 2008,” he said.

“The consultation finishes on February 28 and we would welcome any comments anyone has about the shared catchment area proposal.”

By widening the catchment area,  new pupils who live in Cherry Manor’s former catchment area will be split 50/50 between The Firs and Woodheys primaries.

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