Shock as school axed

Heaton Royds Special School in Redburn Drive, Shipley, had been expecting to move to a new site under a shake-up which also includes the closure of Greenfield Special School in Idle.

But Bradford Council's Education Committee has now decided it wants to shut both schools and open a combined new school instead.

The new 90-pupil school would operate from September 2001, either at Baildon C of E Primary School or Swain House Middle School.

Mary Fowler, head teacher at Heaton Royds, which caters for children aged two to 11 with learning disabilities, said: "I was shocked that officer recommendations in the special school plan had been overturned at the last minute.

"Staff, governors and parents of Heaton Royds School have always supported relocation of the school to enable expansion and further development of the excellent practice well documented by Ofsted Inspectors.

"Our success has led our buildings being too small for the numbers of parents wishing for their children to come to the school.

"I am very concerned that the qualities which have given Heaton Royds an international reputation are not lost to special schools provision in Bradford."

Heaton Royds was the only special school in the world to be chosen to take part in UNESCO's Effective Education for All project.

Mrs Fowler said she was stunned to learn of the about-turn when she attended the Council's education committee meeting last Friday.

She spent the weekend ringing her staff at home to tell them the bombshell news but most parents were still in the dark until arriving at school today with their children.

Mrs Fowler said she would be writing to all parents to break the news to them.

Education committee chairman Councillor Susanne Rooney said today the decision had been made after a letter had been received at the last minute from Government education officials recommending that it would be more effective to close both schools.

She added that the committee felt closing both schools would also be fairer to staff at both Greenfield and Heaton Royds.

"I will do everything to ensure posts at the new school will be ringfenced so that all staff at the two schools will be able to re-apply for the jobs," said Coun Rooney.

"I do share the concerns of the staff at Heaton Royds because it is an excellent school. We will need to look at the naming of the school once a temporary governing body has been set up."

She said it was possible that the new school could be called Heatonfield or Green Royds so that part of the names of the old schools would be retained.

The Council's Tory group education spokesman Councillor Dale Smith (Con, Rombalds) said he was horrified at what had happened at the education committee meeting.

"It started off as a pantomime, became a farce and ended up as a tragedy," he said.

Coun Smith said even though most pupils and staff would still probably end up at any new school, there were significant differences.

"Heaton Royds is internationally recognised and its name and reputation mustn't be allowed simply to vanish," he said.

"The school has been pressing for the last ten years to be transferred to be closer to a mainstream school site to allow for better facilities but they're in danger of throwing away the baby with the bathwater."

Heaton Royds received a glowing Ofsted report after its last Government inspection in 1996.

Inspectors said: "Heaton Royds is a school with some outstanding characteristics which offers its pupils a sound education.

"The school is very well managed with strong, positive leadership which motivates the highly-committed and mutually supportive staff.

"The school is a very welcoming, happy and orderly community where the pupils are treated with dignity and respect and generally behave very well."

Education committee chairman Councillor Susanne Rooney was not available for comment today.

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