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PUPILS Abbey Murphy, Tom Smith, Janine Renshaw, Katie Aldred and Abby Mullineux from St George’s RC High School are protesting against its proposed closure.
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The cross of St George’s fight to save their school
Kathryn Ryan and Emma Fitzgerald21/ 9/2006
PARENTS, pupils and staff of a closure-threatened school have vowed to fight to save it from shutting down.
Under a council shake-up of high schools across the city, St George's RC High School in Walkden will be wiped off the map.
Others will be rebuilt, refurbished or merged and St George's headteacher Philip Harte says the needs of his pupils are being ignored.
He pointed out that the number of pupils at the school gaining five A to C grades at GCSE rose by 10 per cent to 58 per cent, it has received excellent Ofsted reports, is oversubscribed and was recently awarded specialist status by the Department for Education and Skills.
Karen Mullineux's daughter Abby, 12, is in Year 8 at St George's and Karen is hoping her son Alex, who is currently at Bridgewater Primary School in Little Hulton, will be able to follow in his sister's footsteps.
Karen, 39, of Beechfield Avenue, Little Hulton, said: "It's such a shame if this school closes. I applied to get Abby a place at St George's because I didn't want her going to Harrop Fold.
"St George's is a really good school and without it a lot of children would have to travel out of the area where they live.
"I don't want Alex to have to go anywhere else and for all we know if this closure goes ahead it could end up happening in Abby's final years and disrupt her exams."
Abby said: "Everybody in school is talking about it closing down and saying they wouldn't want to go to another school. It wouldn't be fair because all the teachers are nice and it's a really nice school.
"You don't get bullied and pupils from the year above ask how you are and make sure you know what lessons you're going to. It would be sad if it had to close."
Headteacher Mr Harte said: "I'm not going to try and save the school - I am going to save it. This is education by numbers, driven by politics and delivered in haste.
"What I mean is, all the discussion we're having is to do with the number of pupils, it is not to do with the pupils' needs.
"If they close St George's there's a feeling among the parents that choice is going to be limited and that they're going to be forced to go to other schools."
Two of the other Roman Catholic schools in the city, St Ambrose Barlow in Swinton and St Patrick's in Winton, will be refurbished under the plans and All Hallows RC in Weaste would be built on another site.
Most recent 2 of 9 user comments
Shut this school and you'll be crushing alot of peoples memories.
23/10/2006 at 19:13
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