A HEADTEACHER has accused Liberal Democrat councillors of scaremongering by claiming her school would be the next Catholic high school in Salford to close.

Monica Owens, head of All Hallows RC Business and Enterprise College, on Weaste Lane, Weaste angrily denied the allegations.

And she blasted local Lib Dem councillors for sending out a leaflet which she feared could send parents panicking into taking their children elsewhere.

Mrs Owens said: "I was shocked and very angry when a parent brought one of the leaflets in to show me.

"It had a picture of All Hallow’s on the front and inside said categorically we were closing.

"We are greatly concerned about the choice of language used by the Liberal Democrats as we feel that it is misleading and has the effect of unnecessarily alarming our parents, pupils, colleagues and the local neighbourhood."

Meetings for governors, parents, teachers and pupils are being held at All Hallows today, Thursday, November 1 to discuss the proposals.

Mrs Owens added: "The meetings are open to governors, parents, teachers and pupils because they are the four groups who will be directly affected."

Jill Baker, director of children’s services on Salford City Council, said: "Our proposals for Building Schools for the Future (BSF), currently out to consultation, are quite clear regarding the Roman Catholic High Schools in Salford.

"Under them, St George’s would close, and there would be a rebuild and expansion of All Hallows on a site in central Salford.

"There would also be a refurbishment of both St Patrick’s and St Ambrose Barlow high schools."

All Hallows, along with St Ambrose Barlow and St Patrick’s, have said they would not support any plans that improved their school at the expense of St George’s closing.

The controversial leaflet was sent out by Lib Dem councillors Janice Heywood, Geoff Ainsworth and John Deas.

Lib Dem leader Norman Owen said: "We stand by the leaflet. We are merely letting people in the area know what is being discussed because we don’t want them to be steam-rollered into a situation they don’t want but the council do."

Councillor Geoff Ainsworth said: "Mrs Owen’s objections to the word closing is just a question of semantics.

"To local residents moving a school to another site, especially if it is outside the Weaste area, is closure."

Cllr Janice Heywood was worried that if All Hallows moved outside the area - a site being considered is behind the Langworthy Cornerstone - there would only be one school left in Weaste, St Luke@s CE Primary, on Eccles New Road.

She added: "I am very concerned that the parents they are talking to in these discussions are those whose children already go to All Hallows.

"If the BSF programme is rolled out in three years time, those pupils will have already left. Surely, it would have made more sense to include parents of youngsters at local primary schools in the talks?"

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