“Karen. As you say the TAG has always disputed the fact that they do not have sufficient pupil numbers.

I would safely bet, that when Trentham was in Special Measures parents opted for Staffordshire schools. However, now it is performing well, and is the best non faith school, I wonder how many parents would put it, top of the option list, if it wasn't faced with closure? Surely, the pupil nubers would get better and better.

We have seen this across the City for years. Good performing schools attract the kids, underperfoming do not. Its as simple as that. Pupils will travel across the city to go to these schools.”

“Nicky, we at Longton did not "accept defeat", as Anita states, we don't have the pupil numbers to support a case. However, this has been very much down to parents "opting out" of Longton because for the past 5 years, the Council has fuelled rumours that the school would close, and so it has become a self fulfilling prophecy.

This is what will happen at Trentham. However much parents support a school, their first priority is to ensure their children get a stable education, and they believe that a school facing closure can't provide that stability.

At the moment, the Headteacher and staff at Longton are proving that theory very much incorrect - and the children's education is not suffering. However, it's difficult to convince parents of that fact, particularly ones who have no knowledge of the school prior to having to choose their child's secondary school.

So unfortunately, I feel that Trentham will suffer the same fate, and you will see your admission numbers decrease over the next few years. I hope I am wrong, but I fear not.

I am really not sure that Academies are the best way forward for the kids in Stoke on Trent, and stil feel passionate about community schools, local to where kids live. Unfortunately the Government, Serco and our Council don't agree, and it looks like we will get what we are given.”

“Unfortunately it is the children who are going to suffer. These plans do not provide any evidence for improving education. So what is the real reason for closing Trentham High.”

“Anita.
Trentham DOES have enough pupils. The issue is that if it is allowed to remain open then it will in all probability perform much better than the Blurton academy and the sponsor would be left sponsoring empty desks!
Mr Ibbs has invested too much time and energy fighting the voters in his ward to allow us to win in the end and I think deep down we all knew that it was always going to be settled by a legal challenge.
The irony is that the sponsor will still be left with an empty shell because I have yet to meet a parent who intends sending their child to the proposed establishment. Since the route is too dangerous to allow children of 11 years to walk it we shall be forced into driving our children to school, only a fool, or a SERCO executive thinks that we shall not cross the divide into Staffordshire.”

“This whole process could have been done far more smoothly, if our Mayor had acted upon public opinion.

We wanted schools placed to serve the communities, but what do we get, an Academy stuck on the hills at Park Hall.

Trentham High, the top performing non faith school, to be closed,. They cant stay open, as they don't have sufficient numbers. What happened to, government guidelines, stating we don't have to have one size fits all.

Why do we have to be forced to have these Academies? I think the more you have, the more funding you get. If it was proven that these type of schools work, I think the public would buy into it. There are too many that are failing, so this is why we doubt them.

The pupils of Berryhill and Mitchell are left with no community school at all.

The list in endless.

A few changes, and the public would have been happy.

Nicky, we at Longton did not accept defeat, we have no pupil numbers, to put up an argument.

The TAG can choose to go on with the fight, you never know, you may win.”

“No Tony the TAG will not follow the Longton route and accept defeat and the closure of Trentham High. What Jim Knight made clear was that he would not intervene in local decisions. If Meredith were to modify the plans a little a lot of people would be a lot happier. As this Sentinel article makes clear, the council still can decide the fate of individual schools. It is only the Strategy for Change part 1 that has been approved. Part 2 is still to go and that still gives scope for changes in the details. Plus TAG will take the council to court once we get to the required point in the statutory process for closing Trentham High. Well done to Rob Flello and Mark Fisher for speaking out both so rationally and passionately in that debate. JIM KNIGHT WE WILL FIGHT!”

“Is this now the time that the TAG accept that there is no way that Trentham High will stay open. I don't agree with this closure but Jim Knight has made it clear he backs this closure and if you watch the debate he is keen to proceed without delay with the BSF proposal and in fact he stated that he was becoming impatient with the delays!”

“Only great news if you are one of the 13,000 children the council is making provision for. If you're one of the 3,000 children the council is excluding from schools in Stoke, not so great perhaps!
Timed to perfection. Just when parents are putting down their preferences for their childrens secondary schools they confirm the schools closures to create a self fullfilling prophecy for the schools that are closing!
Further evidence that this is not about education but more about councillors trying to score brownie points with their political leaders.
This is not a step forward for education in Stoke, it is a great leap backwards.
If you thought the exodus of children out of the city was high before, be prepared for it to rise and rise.”

“Great News for the overall education of the City :)”

“Jim Knight also wants to introduce 'special' education classes for 5 year olds...enough said. Bring on the lawyers, if only Heywoods could have survived the credit crunch they would have made a killing in Trentham?”