Consultation begins on Birkenhead Academy proposal

Feb 24 2010 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

A CONSULTATION on plans to merge two Wirral secondary schools and create a new Academy in Birkenhead begins this week.

The new Academy would mean the closure of both Park High School and Rock Ferry High School, where pupil numbers have been falling steadily for a number of years.

Parents, the local community and other interested parties are being asked to have their say about the proposal, which Wirral Council believes is the best way forward for the education of young people in Birkenhead.

The plan has the backing, in principle, of the governing bodies of the two existing schools.

The lead sponsor for the Academy will be the University of Chester, with the University of Liverpool, Wirral Metropolitan College, Birkenhead Sixth Form College and Wirral Council as co-sponsors.

The new school would specialise in Applied Learning with an emphasis on Health and Social Care and Science and Technology.

Parents of pupils at both schools will receive consultation documents in the next week or two asking for their views, and they will have the opportunity to attend consultation events as part of the consultation process.

Others can take part by writing to: Secondary Places Review – Closure Proposals, Director of Children’s Services, Hamilton Building, Conway Street, Birkenhead CH41 4FD or by e-mail secondaryplaces@wirral.gov.uk

Further information and a feedback form are available on the Consultation website: http://www.wirral-mbc.gov.uk/ PrimaryPlaces/SecondaryConsultation.asp

The consultation runs until April 7.