LOADS of Merseyside pupils will get an entire day OFF school as part of the highly anticipated Giants visit next week.
A letter sent to parents of children attending Wirral’s Park Primary School confirmed that all pupils in the Wallasey “cluster” will be able to see the event without incurring an unauthorised absence.
Other schools across the area have scheduled inset days or made special arrangements so that children can see the Giants, and parents can avoid the expected congestion in the area.
It comes as the Giants are set to visit Wirral on October 5, with New Brighton Lighthouse set to feature as the backdrop to some of the action.
The letter penned by Park Primary headteacher Michael Mellin said the decision had been taken as the “vast” number of visitors to Wallasey will make it hard for parents to access schools during peak times.
The letter added: “For these reasons, it has been agreed that pupils of schools situated within the Wallasey cluster will be able to visit the Giants without incurring an unauthorised absence. Families who would need to travel close to the route would also be able to collect their child from a Wallasey cluster school earlier than the usual time of closing to ensure safety.”
The Wallasey schools cluster includes early years, primary, special and secondary schools.
With some offering pupils the day off, inset days or school closures have been scheduled at others, or offers for parents to pick up their children at an earlier time.
The council said these decisions were for individual headteachers and schools to make, and parents are being advised about their school’s plans.
On its social media channels, Mount Primary School said it would be closing for the day on October 5, while Liscard Primary said parents are able to pick up their children at 1.30pm instead of the usual 3.20pm finish time.
These are the schools in the Wallasey cluster:
Early Years Centres
Leasowe Early Years & Adult Learning Centre
Brentwood Early Years Centre
Primary Schools
Castleway Primary School
Christ Church CE Primary School
Eastway Primary School
Egremont Primary School
Greenleas Primary School
Holy Spirit Catholic and CE Primary School
Kingsway Primary School
Leasowe Primary School
Lingham Primary School
Liscard Primary School
Mount Primary School
New Brighton Primary School
Park Primary School
Riverside Primary School
Sacred Heart Primary School
Sandbrook Primary School
Somerville Primary School
St. Alban’s Catholic Primary School
St. Georges Primary School
St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School
St. Peter & St. Paul’s Catholic Primary School
Special Schools
Claremount School
Elleray Park School
Hayfield School
Orrets Meadow School
Secondary Schools
Mosslands
Oldershaw Academy
St. Mary’s
Wallasey School
Weatherhead
The letter by Mr Mellin of Park Primary also said that schools must ensure children are safe and know who is responsible on the day, so asked parents and carers to sign a consent form and return it to the school to enable families to be “well supported for this fantastic occasion”.
A statement from a Wirral Council spokesman said: “Since confirmation was received that one of the Giants was coming to Wirral, organisers have worked hard to engage local schools in this exciting event, knowing it was set to take place on what for many is a normal working day.
“We have tried to keep schools informed of developments at the earliest opportunity – particular around timings, the route and the likely impact of the event – to allow them to formulate their own plans for the day. However, there was a strict embargo on details set by the event organisers so much of this information has only been known for a short time.”
He said a “number” of schools that will be “directly impacted” by the event requested, and have been granted, permission from the director of children’s services to not open on October 5.
He added: “We understand headteachers from other schools have told parents they will authorise pupil absence on that day or allow parents to pick children up from school earlier to give them time to go to New Brighton for the event. Others have put in place different arrangements, including scheduling inset days for October 5. Those decisions have been for individual headteachers and schools to make.
“The timetable for this event has been determined by the world-famous street theatre company Royal de Luxe in conjunction with the event organisers, Culture Liverpool. We are honoured that as part of the last-ever show they have chosen to include New Brighton and Wirral in their performance.
“It will be a unique opportunity to see this spectacular at close quarters and we appreciate the efforts that schools and other employers are making to give as many people – big and small – the opportunity to attend.”
The visit of the Giants will affect huge swathes of Merseyside during their visit, set to take place over Friday 5, Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 October.
It comes after Merseyrail backtracked on its decision to miss some train stations after fury from commuters.
Merseyrail has now said trains WILL stop at Hightown and Bache in Sefton – two of the stations people were particularly vocal about being missed out.
Another 23 stations, however, including many across Wirral, will still be closed as planned.
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