South Gloucestershire | Archive | 2005 | October | 14
From the archive, first published Friday 14th Oct 2005.
THE HEADTEACHER of King Edmund Community School in Yate has spoken of the collective relief that staff and pupils enjoyed this week after learning that the school has been saved from closure.
Months of speculation over the future of the Sundridge Park school came to an end last week when it was announced that the school would not face the axe.
Speaking to the Gazette on Tuesday, head Roger Gilbert explained how a huge sense of relief had rippled around the school when teachers discovered that the comprehensive would remain open. To top their celebrations, councillors also announced that £3 million - previously withheld from the school - would now be released.
"When we told the children you could almost feel the weight being lifted from their shoulders," said Mr Gilbert.
"Many of the staff have been here for year and have a strong allegiance to the school.
"The funding that had been allocated to King Edmunds will now be given back and we can start looking into developing the site for a vocational centre and improving other facilities at the school," said Mr Gilbert.
The future of King Edmunds came into question when education chiefs launched an investigation into the provision of education for comprehensive schoolchildren in Yate and Chipping Sodbury earlier this year.
It was openly stated that of the three schools in the two towns King Edmunds was underachieving and had falling pupil numbers.
Many believed that a public consultation was a sham and that the school had been earmarked for closure long before the process began.
Suspicion increased when it emerged that an original document looking into changing the provision of education in the area included three options, all of which stated that the Sundridge Park school should be closed.
A fourth option, which recommended the school should remain open, was eventually added but did nothing to quash ill feeling in the town.
However, months of speculation was put to rest last Friday with an official document from South Gloucestershire Council stating that a recommendation to keep the school open and to build a vocational centre on the site would be put to the authority's ruling cabinet next week.
In a joint statement, cabinet members from the three parties Cllr Pat Hockey (Liberal Democrat), Cllr John Calway (Conservative) and Cllr Roger Hutchinson (Labour) said: "We have always made it clear that no decisions have been made and that we wanted to hear the views of the local community before deciding how to best proceed.
"Particularly welcome from the consultation is the overwhelming support for a new vocational centre for the area which would transform educational opportunity locally and we remain committed to delivering this."
Now Mr Gilbert, who took over as headteacher from Elizabeth Shawhulme in September after she resigned as a result of the furore surrounding the schools, is looking forward to some big changes.
"I am having a meeting with planners in the next couple of weeks and then work will commence on building a vocational centre on the site and improving existing faculties at the school."
"I would like to thank the community who have supported us and we at the school are looking forward to providing children in the area with an unique education facility and working in a school that has a bright future."
© Newsquest Media Group 2008