WISEWOOD/MYERS MERGER TOPIC sheffield!

WHAT do you think on this issue?

why do you agree on the merger?

why do you not want the merger?

Admin wrote:

WHAT do you think on this issue?

why do you agree on the merger?

why do you not want the merger?

WE all know the merger was a sham from the off!! the consultation meetings was just somthing the council had to do anyway. they (COUNCIL) told parents what they wanted and kind of if you dont like it WELL TOUGH BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO DO IT ANYWAY!!

im behind the group parents have set up called S.O.C.S and will fight along with the rest of s6 to stop this stupid merger

I have not got any kids but i still do not want this to happen because my mum was taught there and so was i and my brother and sister so it would be a bad thing because it would be to far for people to travel and also seems like there will be more pupils to a class TERRIBLE!!

Well, the judge has looked at the case and denied SOCS a judicial review.

SOCS have now said that they will apply for an oral hearing to try to overturn the judges decision.

Hope it works out.

i think we should all send letters , emails to our council and just bombard them with letters etc tell your m8s , your familys etc
help save the school NOW!!!!!!

as stated before the parents and other folks WILL FIGHT to the very end on this merger issue!!

THE S.O.C.S FIGHT GOES ON!!!

The legal fight is continuing, do not believe people that say it is all over and the merger will definetely go ahead.

butterfly wrote:

The legal fight is continuing, do not believe people that say it is all over and the merger will definetely go ahead.

the merger is stupid, BUT sheffield labour council cant see it!!

So now the traffic report has been done and its been said there will be a 90% increase in traffic around malin bridge!!!! (A CASE OF PARENTS TOLD YOU SO)

air pollution is above average at the present time!! and any increase in traffic will not be good long term for any child in that area!!! so does this stop the merger????

NO the council just want to push this thru!!!

and reading the results (league tables) wisewood is NOW 8TH in sheffield!!!

This is the reaction from the council " ermmmm hmmmmm "

"SHEFFIELD BLACKMAILED OVER TWO SCHOOL SOLUTION

The Labour Minister for Schools has issued a threat to Sheffield over the move to overturn the merger of Wisewood and Myers Grove Schools in favour of a two school solution.

Today the Minister for Schools, Jim Knight MP, refused to rule out Sheffield losing millions of investment for other Sheffield schools if the Council went ahead with the two school solution. The move came despite a commitment from the Council to fund the extra £25m needed to deliver two schools.

The delegation, which included the leader of Council, the Cabinet member and local Hillsborough Councillors, outlined the preferred solution for local people. They highlighted the way people voted at the last local elections and raised questions that one new school may not be able to cope with the predicted increase in pupil numbers in the future.

Cllr Paul Scriven, Liberal Democrat Leader of Sheffield City Council, said: “I find it totally unacceptable that the Government is blackmailing us in this way. We have come up with an alternative option that would be funded by the Council, yet we have been threatened with funding for other schools being withdrawn if we go ahead. I suspect that this is the work of local Labour MPs who have clearly been working behind the scenes.”

Cllr Joe Taylor, Liberal Democrat councillor for Hillsborough, said: “I’m angry and disappointed that the Minister has chosen not to listen despite us outlining an alternative two school solution and which has clear support form local people and takes into account the true pupil numbers picture. This issue is turning into local people versus the bureaucrats, and I’m firmly backing local people.”

The news comes after the local Labour Party, including all five Sheffield Labour MPs, expressed their opposition to the two school solution. The Liberal Democrat leadership on the Council will now consider their options.

Lib Dems still plan to meet with the proposing group for the merged school in order to ask them to revoke their plans and back the two school solution. The proposing group could refuse and take the battle to the courts which would provide another problem in delivering a two school solution.

Cllr Andrew Sangar, Liberal Democrat Cabinet member for Children’s Services and Lifelong Learning, said: -

“Clearly we will now have to talk to the local communities involved and consider our options in light of this development which changes the picture. We have to recognise that there are some significant hurdles to overcome, most of which are being put up by the Labour Party.”

“One of these hurdles is the proposing group who could provide a lengthily legal block . We will be seeking an official response from the group and I hope they choose to back local peoples preferred option.”"

THE STAR OPINION


Contradictions by Government



JUST a couple of days after one Government minister, Hazel Blears, said she wanted the public to have more say over their future, another minister - Jim Knight - has firmly snubbed the views of the Hillsborough community.
Almost to a man, they had argued in favour of saving their local Wisewood secondary school, which is destined to be merged with poorer-performing neighbouring school, Myers Grove.

But even when the ruling Lib Dem group on Sheffield City Council me up with an imaginative funding option, which could have ensured the city's new school building programme would remain on track, Mr Knight stubbornly refused to budge.

Indeed, his immediate rejection of the suggestion leads to the opinion that he had made up his mind even before yesterday's meeting with local councillors had started.

At least the public can take (albeit, cold) comfort from the fact that Labour's interpretation of consultation has not changed from the days when parents of the doomed school were invited to public meetings to be led to believe that their opinions over the future of the two schools actually mattered - when in fact there was not a scrap of hope that their views would make a difference.

The decision had been taken for a merge and the so-called consultation process was a sham.

What is even more irritating is that it took a local election and change of local government before officials could be directed to do what they had been asked to do some months ago.

During their time in opposition of a hung council, the Lib Dems had won a vote calling for a rethink of the merger proposal. Officers were instructed to find an alternative solution.

Instead, they came back with a response from regional education supremos which amounted to little more than blackmail: go ahead with the proposal or you will miss out on millions for other school rebuild schemes in the city. Now we see that an alternative was available - and one which certainly deserved some consideration rather than an outright dismissal.

But that's all we have come to expect from our knee-jerk Government, where one minister contradicts another.
__________________

communities new all along about the head of wisewood would get the job of the new school!! its all one big sham!!!

footballmanager wrote:

communities new all along about the head of wisewood would get the job of the new school!! its all one big sham!!!

No-one seems to have a answer with the traffic gridlock that will happen in malin bridge area.

dazza wrote:

footballmanager wrote:

communities new all along about the head of wisewood would get the job of the new school!! its all one big sham!!!

No-one seems to have a answer with the traffic gridlock that will happen in malin bridge area.

Thats because there is no answer to the traffic problem im sure the proposing group will make up a answer

link to merger thread on sheffield forum

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=374149

Heres a list ive been sent to run the new school

Diane Mckinlay -Executive headteacher/project leader (proposing group member)

TEMP GOVERNING BODYS
sue stephens (proposing group)
chris mason (proposing group)
Alison Piper Chair governing body - (Chair Proposing group)
Steve Bell -Chair wisewood governer (proposing group member)

Neil Lifford (myers grove governer)

All seems very odd that all of the above set up the proposing group and are now on the TEMP - governing body of the new school IF goes ahead

Alot of questions have been asked to the proposing group but NO answers have been given WHY???

This merger Seems to be moving fast behind Communities backs - and the traffic problems are not been answerd - IF the school goes ahead i do feel sorry
For the children saftey, Peaple trying to get to work thru the gridlock , Air pollution that will be very high -and those that live in this area

LIB DEMS need to do a full Consultation for the public on these problems before any planning can be done - i expect them to do this !!

Just thought i would post this on here

It seems -harryarwin IS steve bell on sheffield forum !! the same steve bell who is a chair governor at wisewood and some kind of temp chair at myers for the new school
this person is slagging parents of socs off , your complaints should go to wisewood or your local councillor a.s.a.p
Im told Joe Taylor (lib dem)knows all about the complaints as well

footballmanager wrote:

Just thought i would post this on here

It seems -harryarwin IS steve bell on sheffield forum !! the same steve bell who is a chair governor at wisewood and some kind of temp chair at myers for the new school
this person is slagging parents of socs off , your complaints should go to wisewood or your local councillor a.s.a.p
Im told Joe Taylor (lib dem)knows all about the complaints as well

Absolute rot! This guy can't even spell my user name right! His information is so outdated it is laughable. Whilst I may be Governor at Wisewood, I can categorically state that I am NOT a Governor at Myers or the new Forge Valley school, ceasing the altter role earlier this year. He really does need to get his facts right in order to have any credibility. AS for "slagging parents of SOCS off" - SOCS will not allow anyone to have a public view aired that is opposed to theirs. My position is very clear - I am pro-merger and will work hard to see the merger achieved. I'm sorry SOCS don't like that and have to make any opposition to their stance a threatening one, but I am determined to continue to offer the alternative opinion. AS a parent with 2 kids having gone through Wisewood, with 1 kid just strating year 10, and seeing over the last few years first hand the appalling conditions that staff and students have to work in, it is very clear that refurbishment cannot and will not happen on this site. There is only 1 credible alternative, and I fully support it as a parent - after all, my lad will get to go to a sixth form this side of the city finally!

Harryarwen wrote:

footballmanager wrote:

D

Absolute rot! This guy can't even spell my user name right! His information is so outdated it is laughable. Whilst I may be Governor at Wisewood, I can categorically state that I am NOT a Governor at Myers or the new Forge Valley school, ceasing the altter role earlier this year. He really does need to get his facts right in order to have any credibility. AS for "slagging parents of SOCS off" - SOCS will not allow anyone to have a public view aired that is opposed to theirs. My position is very clear - I am pro-merger and will work hard to see the merger achieved. I'm sorry SOCS don't like that and have to make any opposition to their stance a threatening one, but I am determined to continue to offer the alternative opinion. AS a parent with 2 kids having gone through Wisewood, with 1 kid just strating year 10, and seeing over the last few years first hand the appalling conditions that staff and students have to work in, it is very clear that refurbishment cannot and will not happen on this site. There is only 1 credible alternative, and I fully support it as a parent - after all, my lad will get to go to a sixth form this side of the city finally!

i THINK you have that very wrong -in my opinion its You and its proposing group who dont want SOCS and members of public speaking out !
The above poster is wanting to close a OUTSTANDING school now in anyones book that is stupid !!
(i cant say what i want to say as ive had a warning from admin )
But i think when locals hand petitions in and vote local labour COUNCILLORS out you get some kind of picture as to who want the merger and who does not

Why dont others want to fight to keep both schools a rebuild for myers and re-furb for wisewood under one headteacher we just dont know !!

2 Star votes - against merger

Petitions handed in
March on town hall !!
Labour councillors Voted out!!
Lib Dems try the best to stop the merger!

The star reported "sham merger"
Outnumberd i see against planning of the new school
Contamination on myers site!
Traffic gridlock
Not enough Places in catchment for the new school
Close a OUTSTANDING SCHOOL - (WISEWOOD)

the list goes on and on !!!

There seems to be the thing that not alot want this so called new school oh i wonder why ????

[quote="madman"][quote="footballmanager"]communities new all along about the head of wisewood would get the job of the new school!! its all one big sham!!![/quote]




No-one seems to have a answer with the traffic gridlock that will happen in malin bridge area.[/quote]




Miss Dm always pushed ahead with the merger and would always get the Head teacher job,
Thats how bad it is , they set a group up and just get there own staff governors and to hell with the rest of the communities if they dont like it !!!

SHAM VALLEY SCHOOL - [b]DOOMED TO FAIL !!!!!!!

and who will hold there hand up when it all goes wrong - .......

Letter in Telegraph !

Problems caused by closure plansFrom: Toby Mallinson, Chair, Save Our Community SchoolsPremium Article !

Published Date: 17 December 2009
I WRITE concerning the closure of Sheffield's smaller secondary schools, Wisewood, Myers Grove and Abbeydale Grange.
Such closures are happening across the country as part of the nationwide school rebuilding programme. The closures fly in the face of international evidence which shows that the most effective school systems are based on smaller community schools wit The low class sizes.

The closures in Sheffield will result in bigger schools with bigger class sizes. This is particularly true with the closure of Abbeydale Grange with all of its students being shoe-horned into the surrounding schools.

However, the closures of Wisewood and Myers Groves and their replacement with one school with the same capacity as Myers Grove will also create serious problems with capacity.

The new catchment is predicted to have a minimum of 1600 students in 2014 and growing year on year from then on. There will only be 1,050 long-term places in the school for them!

Fortunately the closures are not as certain as council officers would like us to believe. Parents from Abbeydale Grange have a right of appeal which could go in their favour. The replacement of Wisewood and Myers Grove needs planning permission for the new building which will be on the Green Belt.

However, an even more important issue for the areas surrounding Wisewood and Myers Grove remains the serious traffic problems the project will create at Malin Bridge. As part of the planning application the council has commissioned a 500-page traffic report. The Save Our Community Schools campaign group have appointed consultants to analyse this report. We have found that the report is flawed to the point that its conclusions lack any credibility.

Our consultants (who undertake such work worldwide) conclude that: "This is an ill-conceived proposal. It is considered that resulting delays to traffic and the increased movement across Malin Bridge will result in demonstrable harm, particularly to the level of road safety."

We hope that the planning board, who will be deciding the planning application next month, will look at all the facts objectively and listen critically to all of the advice they receive.

Closing these smaller schools would be a great loss to Sheffield.

Wisewood is full, popular and one of the most successful schools in the city – rated as 'Outstanding' by Ofsted. Myers Grove has improved hugely over the last decade. Abbeydale Grange is a very popular school with those who attend it. It gains impressive results with some of the most disadvantaged youngsters in our city. It is also a lynchpin of community cohesion in the city.

It is time that education officers in the town hall started standing up for Sheffield and its schools against these ill-advised government policies. They could negotiate a much better deal for the city.

[b]