Wyre Forest education review

RESIDENTS living in Broadwaters and Horsefair are being asked for their views on how the site of a middle school can best serve the community after it closes.

Sladen CE Middle School in Hurcott Road, Kidderminster will be closing in August, 2007 when the two-tier education system is adopted in the Wyre Forest district.

The Diocese of Worcester owns most of the land and the buildings, with the rest belonging to Worcestershire County Council.

Two public meetings will be held at the school on Wednesday at 4.30pm and 6.30pm, chaired by the headteacher, Tom Revell.

They have been organised by Midland Education Consultants to find out the views of the local community.

Co-ordinator, David Terry, said: "The Midland Education Consultants have been commissioned by Worcestershire County Council to gather opinions about how the building and site is used and to report them to the council with suggestions for them to consider.

"The report, with recommendations, will be made public about the middle of January so that the recommendations can be made soon after that to ensure the new centre comes into existence as soon as possible after the school closes."

Canon Owain Bell, of St Mary and All Saints Church, said: "What I would like to see is the site used for life-long learning and I would like to see the site continue to serve the wider community.

"It would be a place where local colleges and schools could deliver their courses and volunteer and community groups could meet - a real centre for the community."

He added: "The closure of a church school is heartbreaking.

"It is a superb school but if it has to close we would like to see something good come out of it."

Anyone unable to attend the meetings can e-mail the consultants at midedcons@aol.com or write to them c/o Sladen CE Middle School, Hurcott Road, Kidderminster, DY10 2QJ.

Rise in pupil numbers sparks safety concern

CHILDREN on their way to school could be in danger from speeding motorists when pupil numbers increase in 2007, a former Wyre Forest district councillor has claimed.

Nigel Addison fears the reorganisation from a three-tier to a two-tier system could lead to safety problems for youngsters in Wolverley, unless Worcestershire County Council takes action over routes to Wolverley High School and Sebright First School.

Both schools will take on more pupils as a result of the reorganisation and Mr Addison, who served on the district authority in 2003-04, said both routes needed urgent attention.

He explained: "When I was a councillor, the county council proposed improvements around the first school - in their Safer Routes to Schools scheme - but these have never been implemented in Wolverley and are only just being implemented in Cookley.

"The first school is on a very busy main road, which has serious problems with speeding motorists, so improvements need to be made now, rather than later, before the increase in pupil numbers."

Mr Addison had previously asked the county council to put special road markings along the Franche road in Wolverley, using red tarmac and signs painted on the road to let drivers know the school was ahead.

He added: "The other major area of concern is Blakeshall Lane, from the junction opposite Hardwicks Landscape Centre, through the village and up to the school.

"Not only do motorists speed through this route at all times of the day but the increase in coaches that will use the route needs to be considered.

"There have been two minor incidents along this road recently, involving coaches, and I fear that it is only a matter of time before a serious incident occurs."

Among his suggested safety enhancements were clearing footpaths and hedgerows and improving street lighting.

Traffic calming measures, such as double yellow lines along the whole route to the high school, as well as Franche Road, should also be introduced, he added, as well as regular speed traps taking place.

"The review may not be due for implementation for some time but the time to look at safety issues is now, not when an accident occurs," he added.

Two-tier heads are appointed

HEADTEACHERS have been appointed to all but one of the schools that will operate following the Wyre Forest education shake-up happening in September, 2007.

The changes will see the district's middle schools closed when the changeover from a three-tier to a two-tier system takes place.

Twenty-nine of the 30 new schools now have headteacher designates, who have started planning for the transition.

Advertisements are being posted this week for the only headteacher vacancy still not filled - at Foley Park Community Primary School.

Zoe Cookson, project manager for the Wyre Forest schools review, said: "The point we are trying to get across is the 30 schools are totally new. They will all be totally different from the existing 45 schools, even though the same buildings will be used."

Like the headteacher positions, the deputy vacancies are being ring-fenced to Wyre Forest teachers already in existing posts.

Dr Cookson said the plan was for all teachers to know their positions after the shake-up by the end of this academic year.

She added: "By setting this timescale, we hope to have everything in place to give everyone involved with the new schools enough time to plan for the changes."

For more information about the changes, log on to www.worcestershire.gov.uk/wyreforestschools