Page 11 - link magazine

The Link Magazine • January 2005 11
Reorganising West Swindon
schools - vision of the future

or a disaster in the making?

Radical plans to reduce the number of primary school places in West
Swindon are going to have a major effect on parts of the area. Two or
three schools could close to finance the redevelopment of other
school sites to include broad ranging community education, care,
health and youth provision.
Currently there are 2,800 chil- School attended November's Area
dren attending the nine primary Forum worried that their school
schools in the area, but there are was targeted to fold into
3,254 places. By 2009, Swindon's Freshbrook School.
education department calculates Other rumours have suggested
there could be up to 800 empty Salt Way School will amalgamate
places, with some schools being with Shaw Ridge. There have been
up to 45 per cent empty. ideas that Toothill School could
Rumours and uncertainty have combine with Oliver Tomkins
been circulating since the Decem- Church of England School with a
ber Link reported November's new building on the Toothill site.
West Swindon Area Forum where However, if the Bristol Diocese will
Swindon Council cabinet lead not agree to the proposal, perhaps
member for education coun Garry Westlea could close and fold into
Perkins said there was a need to Toothill.
remove costly surplus places People living near school sites
across the town, and to broaden will also be concerned about what
the use of schools as centres for the could happen, especially those
whole community. who back on to those nice green
Coun Perkins explained that fields. Those which close will in-
government wants councils to uti- evitably be redeveloped for hous-
lise school facilities for out of school ing, raising questions about access
education and care. He also said and extra traffic flow.
the Children Act which comes into Property developers will be very
force this year will require coun- interested in the sites at Windmill
cils to create integrated services Hill, Oliver Tomkins, Salt Way and
and facilities for children, fami lies especially Shaw Ridge and the
and other residents by developing adjacent never-used site for a
facilities such as GP surgeries, Catholic primary school, which
health and leisure facilities, access could accommodate some very up-
points to ICT and council services market executive dwellings.
alongside new schools. The discussion by the Educa-
However all nine West Swin- tion Partnership Board on 17 Janu-
don primary schools have estab- ary followed by decisions at Swin-
lished strong relationships with the don Council's cabinet will have a
people who live around them, par- profound effect on West Swindon.
ticularly the families who use them. The prize of all-encompassing
For example, Westlea School with multi-agency education centres
its adjacent social halls define the creates exciting community devel-
community they serve. opment opportunities. But there
Closing any school poses prob- will be losers in the process.
lems for the council. To redirect Therefore it is very important
investment for the future good, for everybody to be aware of the
some communities could be dam- imminent changes in the educa-
aged. tion and physical landscape of
Parents from Windmill Hill West Swindon.

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