NEWS RELEASE
PR 1733
For Immediate
Release
12 May 2004
Consultation on possible closure of
schools
PARENTS of children at Parkside and
St Swithin’s Infant Schools in Bath together with Governors, staff
and the wider community are to be consulted on the possible closure
of both schools.
This consultation is part of the
Council’s rolling programme of reviews of all primary schools in
Bath & North East Somerset with priority being given to areas with
the highest level of unfilled places. North and Central Bath has a
higher level of unfilled places than any other area of the
Authority.
The decision to consult on the
possible closure of the schools was taken by the Council Executive
following an initial review of the 11 primary schools in the North
and Central areas of the city of Bath.
This included an in-depth review by
the Council’s Education, Youth, Culture and Leisure Overview and
Scrutiny Panel which included visits to all the schools and a public
meeting where contributions from the schools and other parties were
heard.
Public meetings will take place at
the two schools at which parents and others can give their opinions,
concerns and thoughts to officers from the Local Education
Authority.
The meetings will take place at
Parkside Infant School on Monday, May 24 at 6.30pm.and at St
Swithin’s School on Tuesday, May 25 at 6.30 pm.
The results of this consultation
will then be presented to the Council Executive on Monday, July 5
when the next step will be decided upon.
If the Executive’s preferred option
is to move to close the schools, the Council then enters a further
period of statutory consultation which includes publishing legal
notices providing a further opportunity for people to express their
views, including objections.
If objections are received the
School Organisation Committee – a body independent of the Council
and including representatives from schools, Dioceses and the LEA
will then consider all sides and make a decision. Their decision has
to be unanimous.
Similar reviews have already taken
place in Keynsham and an exercise covering schools in south and
central Bath is taking place during the summer term.
Notes to Editors:
Copies of the consultation papers
for both Parkside and St Swithin’s School are included with the
e-mail version of this press release.
For more information, contact:
Bruce Austen, School Organisation
Manager, on Tel: 01225 395169 or e-mail bruce_austen@bathnes.gov.uk
Cllr Jonathan Gay, Executive Member
for Education, on Tel: 07974 009589 or e-mail jonathan_gay@bathnes.gov.uk
Issued by: Bath & North East
Somerset Press Office, tel 01225 477827 or 477283, email:
pressoffice@bathnes.gov.uk |
