Panel delay on Sneyd decision

A decision on the future of a closure-threatened Black Country school has been delayed, it was revealed today.

Worried pupils, parents and staff at Sneyd Community College will now have an anxious wait until next month.

They had been expecting a decision next week, but bosses said nothing would be decided until next month at the earliest.

A panel set up to make recommendations on the fate of the school in Vernon Way, Bloxwich, have said a proposal for a "merger" with Frank F Harrison Engineering College was "interesting and exciting".

Other options for the school's future include an academy school on the site, a Co-operative Trust school run by a trust made up of representatives of other local education institutions or a National Challenge Trust, involving a partnership with another nearby school or business.

But Walsall's cabinet member for education, Councillor Zahid Ali, said although the matter would be discussed at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, further work was needed. "It is crucial we look at every single consideration and this is not something that should be rushed," he said.

Sneyd headteacher Dr Sean Sweeney today said: "We recognise this is a very difficult issue to resolve."

He added they remained keen on the option to transform Sneyd into an academy school.