Angry parents took to the streets to protest about the planned merger of two schools.
They marched from Lostock College to Stretford High School in a bid to halt plans to merge the two schools and create an academy, sponsored by Trafford College. They continued on to the town hall to hand in a petition and protest letters opposing the plans.
Under the proposals put forward by the council, part of the land currently used by Stretford High School would be sold to Tesco for £21 million for a controversial new store, and the money given to Lancashire County Cricket club for its large-scale redevelopment.
The idea is for the academy to start in September and the two schools to eventually be housed together in a purpose-built building, although not until 2013. The council is currently in consultation over the plans, and a final decision has not yet been made.
But parents say they do not want the schools to merge, and feel it will be detrimental to their children's education. Parents from both schools, as well as some of the primary schools that feed into them took part in the march on Thursday, March 18.
Derek Howells has two daughters who attend Lostock college. He said: "Parents like the school. There is a real community feel and the class sizes are small.That will all be lost if our children go to a bigger school."
Karen Lambert, who has an 11-year-old son at Stretford High, added: "Parents are dead against the merger. Stretford High teachers have worked really hard to make it a good school and if parents wanted their children to go to Lostock, they would have applied."
The plans are also being opposed by Labour poliiticans – Councillor David Acton has criticised the Conservatives for tying the plans for the school in with the cricket club redevelopment, and giving the money from the land sale to LCCC. "None of the money will go back into education," he said.
But the Tories say the two schemes are not dependent on each other. Council leader Matt Colledge said: "This is about investing in children in Trafford."
Both the Tesco and cricket club plans were approved by the planning committee earlier this month, despite widespread opposition from residents concerned that the 140,000 ft store will take business away from the town centres, as well as Stretford Mall, which is struggling after the receivers were called in.
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" Council leader Matt Colledge said: 'This is about investing in children in Trafford.' " - What a disgrace this man is, a complete and total hypocrite.
If Cllr. Colledge truly believes this is in the interests of the children and their education then let him take even five minutes to consult the pupils and their parents over these plans. Factor that in with the above statement about the council selling off school land and handing the money to the cricket club and one really starts to wonder if Cllr. Colledge lives in reality, because he certainly doesn't live in Stretford.
The single only reason the council is behind the academy plans is because the enforced closure of Stretford High School releases a patch of land currently held in trust for the school - as long as the school exists the council can't touch that land. Forcing the school to close releases the land to the council. Trafford Council have already in principle sold this land to Tesco - for £21m. This same £21m gained from the sale of school land will not go into education, no. It will be gifted to the cricket club for member and player facilities.
"Investing in the children of Trafford" indeed.
this was our first protest we intend to protest again and again. join us as we fight. read our face book page and make up your own minds . the conservatives are ignoring us they will not speak to us in public. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=289697567617
why is school money being given to a private club. why is the council rushing a academy through without risk assessing the saftey of the kids ? they even say they are rushing it. the consevatives will not meet in public to talk about this proposal they will only meet behnd closed doors. they are meeting at the moment at the town hall with a hand full of parents. the conservative will not tell us when their surgeries are we want to go and listen to their side of the story. we need facts about the academy not glossy. we will not give up the fight read our face book site and decide yourself.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=289697567617
REF: Called in Scrutiny meeting Monday 29th March 2010. Regarding the proposed closing of Lostock College & Stretford High to form a new Academy.
: Proposed Academy & Closing of Lostock College
I’m a parent of two children at Lostock College. I have great concerns about the closing of Lostock College & Stretford High School.
Below are lists of concerns I have.
1. The loss of the Lostock ethos
2. The loss of the 6th form from the proposals
3. The loss of the Lostock specialism in performing arts
4. The inadequate size of the site proposed
5. The location of the site, near a busy main road, likely to get busier if the Tesco and cricket club plans go ahead has this been risk assessed.
6. The risk of bullying
7. The attention that will be given to special needs
8. The transport arrangements for children to get to the new site/move
Between sites
9. Whether there will be transport for out of school activities
10. Whether there will be enough places in the new academy if 900 proposed new houses are built near LCCC, as stated in the councils core strategy.
11. Whether there will be enough places now - year 5 is already at
Capacity, and there's a lack of vacancies at any other school
12. The lack of information about what happens in September (issues raised included uniform, curriculum, where classes will be held)
13. Whether siblings will be guaranteed a place at the academy
14. The proposal's all about saving money, not about getting the best
Education for the children
15. Parents have only got information about the consultation at the
Last minute, lack of consultation.
16. Parents whose children are not yet in secondary education haven't
Been given information e.g. not invited to hear the presentation by the
Sponsor
17. Policy on exclusions
18. £21m from sale of the land should not go to the cricket club but
To the schools
19. Whether the academy will become a UTC in disguise, with a limited
Curriculum
20. The risk to the pastoral care children get now at Lostock
21. The fact the Academy is being agreed before the end of the consultation process without any education facts.
22. All other options seem to have been disregarded without consultation with parents.
23. The proposal to use park land in the plans to develop the academy.
24. The statement that the governors are in full agreement, we have spoken to the governors and at least 2 are not in agreement now that the 6th form has been dismissed and it is clean the site isn’t big enough to hold the school.
25. I have also been informed that pupils have requested Lostock and been told they aren’t in the catchment area, I will get names and pass on the information as I get this.
Every item of concern must be addressed and risk assessed prior to signing an agreement for an academy.
The consultation process seems to be rushed at the moment. You wish to rush this through before the election. This is not a process that can be rushed. The development of this must take into account the pupil’s education and any changes must not affect their current education. The process needs to slow down, if it turns out to be a good idea then it won’t matter who is in power after the election. It feels like it is being driven be the sponsors and not the education of the pupils. Both schools find this a bad idea; the teachers are against this merger, but will not say publically as their jobs are at risk. We need another solution.
As a parent Lostock College should always stay open. I have started a parent group at Lostock and I’m seeking as much publicity as possible. I would like to be invited to all meetings affecting the closing of Lostock School. I would like copies off all documentation relating to the merging of the schools and closing of Lostock College. Any information I’m entitled to I request now. If you can’t provide this information then I would like a name and address details of the correct person to speak to.
This proposed merger will have an impact on Lostock College. This year not many pupils will come to the school because they don’t know what’s happening to the school this has had an impact on numbers at the school for the last 4 years.
The proposed merger and closing of Lostock could mean my children have to travel between the two sites for different classes. This isn’t safe and would have a disruption on the education. The schools aren’t around the corner from each other. The pupils will lose education time travelling from site to site. The roads the pupils would have to travel on are very busy increasing the chance of an accident. With the expansion plans of LCCC and Tesco the traffic will increase and the safety of the kids is paramount.
The Academy will require sporting facilities. The academy will require performing arts facilities. The school numbers will be twice what they are now. If they still want to use this site then with the money they get from the government they wouldn’t need to sell off any land. However we don’t want the Academy we want a solution to keep Lostock College open.
As parents and Pupils from Lostock we have a voice and we intend to use it. We are putting this in the public eye and we are going to ensure our kids education isn’t affected by the proposed Academy. We don’t want it Stretford High don’t want it. Our kids love Lostock and so do the parents we will fight you on all aspects of this proposal and take it as far as we can.
I have had information that the Lostock site has been earmarked for social housing. We are putting this to the residents in the area to find out their views.
If required we will take legal advice on how to proceed and prevent the closing of Lostock College.
Derrick Howells
Concerned parent.
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fpetitions.number10.gov.uk%2FSOSLostock%2F&h=93467e087aa9178aa1e6e9e537e835c4 join our protest
The two schemes are not connected? What other barefaced lies is Cllr Colledge going to try and sell us? Maybe he'll try the old "tory council investing in local education for local children" one?
Well done to Trafford Council for selling out the Community.
Well done to Trafford council TESCO and LCCC and Stretford High for having secret talks about the proposal of building on Gorse Hill park, and destroying the only green environment that the community has.
The cricket ground stadium if we all did not notice was already being built well before the planning application fro Tesco was voted in. Just drive pass and you will see it.
Once again Trafford messed up from selling the land agreeing that it would be only a small store, but the LCCC and the school jump onboard and give support to TESCO to build a megastore.
Well done to All three for helping in the demolition of Stretford Mall due to going into receivership on the same day the deal was done with Tesco.
Our community is being dictated by a RETAIL organisation called TESCO who have had criticism nationwide for their devious tactics to destroy local shops and jobs. They say that it will create jobs, it will not most of the jobs that will be part of the new store will be transfers and re deployments. The other retail stores will lose their staff so work the maths out creat 300 jobs but close possibly 20 different retail shops and loss over 1500 staff. Will like TESCO say EVERY LITTLE HELPS!!!!
The Council has had a commitment to build a sports building and all weather pitch on the site next to Stretford Leisure Centre since the late 1990's. It renewed its commitment with a planning permission in 2005 - just before the protracted negotiations with LCCC and Tesco started. If the land is now sold, then this plan will be shelved in favour of taking even more land out of Gorse Hill Park instead. Gorse Hill is in the top 10 deprived wards in terms of open space. The net effect will be that all of the land once available for school playing fields on the Chester Road site will be lost and replaced by Gorse Hill Park. The Council has already had money from the sale of the first parcel of land to Tesco some years ago and were supposed to have allocated most of the money to three schemes. One in Altrincham has been implemented, one at Navigation Road has been implemented, and wouldn't you know it, the one in Gorse Hill (the all-weather pitch intended for use by Stretford High School) hasn't been implemented. This shows quite clearly what the ruling party on the Council thinks about the north of the Borough. And to add insult to injury, Councillor Alex Williams claims, in his election leaflet for Stretford and Urmston, that he lives locally (Stretford and Urmston??) and has campaigned to make Stretford and Urmston a better place to live. Whaaat? I haven't noticed him campaigning for the community of Gorse Hill over the loss of playing fields, the loss of a public park, or the imposition of a massively oversized Tesco on the local community. Neither has he done much (if anything) for Stretford Mall other than support the sale of public land for a superstore that will kill the place off. What is going on here?
John (Stretford resident)