500-name petition to fight school closures

CAMPAIGNERS fighting plans to shut two high schools and replace them with academies miles away from their community are to present a petition to the Government.

The move comes as Stoke-on-Trent City Council's cabinet is due to meet on Wednesday to decide whether to give final approval to closing seven high schools and one special school.

It would pave the way for millions of pounds to be spent on creating five academies across the city.

The high schools affected include Mitchell Business and Enterprise College, in Bucknall, and Berry Hill High, which families want to see merged instead. They are calling for a new community school, preferably on the Mitchell site.

But the city council intends to replace Mitchell and another school, Longton's Edensor Technology College, with an academy sponsored by Stoke-on-Trent College. It would either be built on a gasometer site by Park Hall Country Park or at Springfield, off Anchor Road, Adderley Green. Berry Hill would shut to make way for a Church of England-sponsored academy in Fenton.

Now the Community School Action Group, which organised a protest walk on Sunday to highlight the problems pupils would face walking from Bucknall to Park Hall, is stepping up its campaign ahead of next week's meeting.

Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Mark Fisher has already met with schools minister Vernon Coaker, pictured below, to raise concerns. The action group will be asking him to pass on a petition to the minister later this week, featuring more than 500 names.

Group chairman Margaret Lowe said parents and governors from Mitchell and Berry Hill were united in their fight to keep a school within their community.

She added: "The city council is not listening to the community, residents and pupils of the schools involved.

"The decision to build an academy at Park Hall or Springfield has been made by members of the city council who do not live in the area."

Residents claim the Park Hall site is unsuitable because it is too far away, pupils would have to navigate dangerous roads, and the development could jeopardise nature areas.

In response to some of these concerns, the council put forward the alternative site at Springfield. But nearby residents claim this would result in a popular community playing field being fenced off for school use, and Bucknall families say the site is even further away than Park Hall.

Mr Fisher is now challenging council leader Ross Irving and chief executive Chris Harman to walk the route from Mitchell to Springfield.

He said: "I walked it and it took about 50 minutes. It's too far to expect young teenagers to walk in the dark after school."

Mr Fisher stressed the schools minister was fully aware of the public's concerns, but the final decision was down to the city council. So far, it seems unlikely the Government will intervene.

In a report to the cabinet, officers say families from Bentilee and Bucknall would still be able to "select from a number of successful schools" in the future.

The council has previously ruled out building a new school on the Mitchell site because it would be too far away for families from Edensor's catchment area. The report says the council will "continue to explore" alternative sites to Park Hall before making a final decision.