Parents battle to save school (From Wirral Globe)

Parents battle to save school

2:30pm Monday 19th March 2007 in Search By Kelly Barker

PARENTS are desperately calling for help in their battle to save a much-loved Wirral school.

Pensby Park Primary is facing closure after the council revealed that pupil numbers are too low.

Education officials blame the move on a falling birth rate' and say that they want to spend money on real children, not empty or surplus' spaces.

But parents and local residents claim that closure would be a "tragedy" and have gathered more than 800 signatures on a petition against the loss of the Fishers Lane school.

Currently, there are 89 surplus places in Pensby and Thingwall, with 21 at Pensby Park Primary School.

And the number is set to increase by 2011.

"It would be a great tragedy to lose such a lovely school that is held in such high regard by the local community."

Deborah Pink

In a consultation document entitled the Primary School Places Review', it is revealed that surplus places must stay below 10% or else the council will take action.

This means that Pensby Park Primary with its 93 pupils could face the axe because of an inefficient use of resources.' But there are other options open to councillors who will decide the fate of the school later this year.

They could vote to amalgamate the surrounding Pensby Infant and Pensby Junior schools and save Pensby Park Primary - a move welcomed by campaigners, or they could merge all three to create a brand new school for up to 300 pupils.

The report claims that the option of a new school would remove 94 surplus places, reduce surplus places in the future, and have educational, organ-isational and financial benefits.

But mum-of-four Deborah Pink said parents will not give up the fight to save the school, that was recently commended for its improved academic performance.

"It would be a great tragedy to lose such a lovely school that is held in such high regard by the local community - just because of unreliable predictions for the future," she said.

"Our children have suffered enough.

"Surely it would make more sense to amalgamate Pensby Infant and Pensby Junior schools which are already based on the same site."

She added: "My children love the school, I specifically chose it for them because it is small and I do not want to have to uproot them and separate them from their friends."

And parent governor Elaine Whitehead said: "How can they justify the need to close the school when it performs so well?

"I don't know how they can make predictions about the birth rate when they can't see into the future and guess people's reproduction rates."

Parents or residents can send their views to the director of children's services at Hamilton Building, Conway Street, Birkenhead, CH41-4FD or email primaryplaces@wirral.gov.uk.

The consultation period ends on March 30.