My son is one of those affected by this short-sighted move by Salford Council. It may well be true to say that there are other vocational places available but what appears to have been overlooked is the rapport that these dissaffected youngsters have built up with the dedicated staff at Silverdale.

If Silverdale - a place where young people feel respected and safe - is forced to close then it is all too likely that these young men and women will slip completely through the educational net. For many of them a move to a new vocational centre with staff they do not know could be a challenge that they find difficult to deal with. Silverdale brings out the best in troubled, disaffected and vulnerable young people. We must not allow Salford Council to effectively force its closure.

My son will be adversely affected by the closeure of Silverdale. He is most upset because he felt this was the only place he could make a start in life after school failing him.

I think the council should be ashamed of themselves for what they have done to Silverdale. My daughter has been attending for a year now and she absolutely loves it. She is utterly disappointed that it will close, as am I. It is disgusting. What are kids like my daughter supposed to do now?

Silverdale Vocational Centre has meant a great deal to a large number of young people. For many it has meant a new start, a place where they are treated fairly and like adults. It is a place for achievement, for many of the young people, their first, and a place where they receive the praise they deserve for those achievements. They learn Health & Safety, Maths and English in a new way they can understand, practical skills along with social skills, all of which will help them to obtain a better job, an apprenticeship or help them fit into college when they leave school. All in all it, it gives them a chance, a better start in life.

The staff have been incredibly dedicated to the young people, passing on their skills while nurturing the skills and talents already there and giving them valuable life skills along the way. They have treated them like they would their own children, laughed with them and shed tears over them. For many of the young people Silverdale has been like their extended home, somewhere they can always find someone who will listen. The staff have cared so much and are devastated by the decision that Silverdale will close.

The young people attending Silverdale have been supervised from the minute they enter the gates, through lunch and breaks until they leave at 3pm and they have not been allowed off site at any time during the day. Schools have been informed of attendance each day by fax and every six weeks have received a progress report on each young person. They have been taught underpinning knowledge (theory) in a new and successful way, away from the classroom.
The classroom environment often puts a young person off learning, which is why at Silverdale we don't use them. This teaching method was proved successful this year when 99% of the young people passed the externally set exam.
We have not yet received the Connexions (careers) figures for this year, as it is too early. Last year however, 90% of the young people leaving Silverdale went straight into jobs with training or into further education. For disaffected young people this result is amazing and an unprecedented success.

We are now told Silverdale Vocational Centre is no longer required, that the courses are offered elsewhere. But are they? Will these courses be offered in small groups of only 8 young people per tutor as they are at Silverdale? Will they be supervised at all times or allowed off site? Will they be mixing with adults who have not had police checks? Will the current year 10's be able to continue on the same course they have been following as they move into year 11? How much time will they now spend in a classroom environment? And who will spend a few vital minutes of a day making that important phone call to find a young person an apprenticeship as I have?
These are just a few important questions that I hope were given serious consideration when the decision to reduce the term of the lease that in effect has closed Silverdale was reached.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff of Silverdale Vocational Centre for their support they have not just given me, but more importantly for the support they have given to each and every young person that has attended Silverdale. And I would also like to thank every young person to have passed through our doors, you helped to make the centre what it is, a joyous place to work. Thank you for the way you have worked at Silverdale, we will miss you all and wish you the best of luck for all your future endeavours.

Elaine Allcroft, Silverdale Vocational Centre Manager