Schools in central Dudley could be axed to make way for a giant ’super school’ as part of a major overhaul of the borough’s secondaries, it was feared today.
Education chiefs are due to submit their vision of how to spend a £200 million Government cash injection this month amid concerns a massive new school could replace existing sites.
Education bosses today refused to dismiss the speculation but insisted nothing had yet been decided.
The Government’s Building Schools for The Future initiative aims to revamp or rebuild all secondary schools in the country by 2015, with Dudley set to bag a slice of the funding.
Shadow education chief Councillor Gaye Partridge said she had been told schools in the central Dudley would be “under review” next month.
Suspicions were raised further after she was invited to join a delegation of education bosses on a forthcoming visit to an academy school.
“I’m a bit worried about what this could mean,” she said. “The way the Cradley High closure was handled was quite brutal.”
Dudley Council spokeswoman Katherine Finney said there would be a formal consultation on plans for the future of secondary education in the borough.
“At this stage it’s too early to speculate on the future of any school,” she said.
3 Comments
Super school, more bullying, more uncontrollable pupils, higher truancy. Bring back the small friendly secondary modern schools.
The State are doing the same thing with Further Education colleges - merging them all. People will be left with no choice. In the end there will be just one giant comp and one FE college per county (ooops, sorry - per “region” - counties are being done away with aren’t they?) It’s easier for the State to control a handful of huge organisations and, after all, who needs choice, comrades?
Look at how Cradley High was handled. Disgusting. Should the current Tory run Dudley Council be left to their own devices in spending this £200 million? There was already one good secondary school in Cradley. They took it away from the community. Where is the logic in that?? We must all take a stance here and have our say. Let your feelings known well in advance about this Building Schools for the Future Programme.