The Council is rightly proud of education in Wirral. Teachers, governors, parents and pupils all play a part in this success. To provide the best education for children the LA must make sure money spent on education is used in the best possible way. This means spending money on real children, not on empty places.
The Council has to review its school places to make sure that across Wirral, empty or surplus places stay below 10%. It also has to consider taking action when a school has 25% or more surplus places.
It is right that there should be some surplus places for parental choice. However, in Wirral the number of secondary age children is falling. This means that some schools are getting smaller, producing a significant surplus of empty places.
Also, each school needs enough pupils to pay its costs in full. When pupil numbers become too low, the school is at risk of financial problems, and may have to cut back spending on staff and other resources. It also puts more pressure on teachers because they have to take on additional responsibilities.
The number of empty places in some local secondary schools in parts of Wirral is far too high. The Council must take action to reduce this number of empty places.
There will be an on-going programme looking at every area of Wirral over the next few years. The first phase of the Secondary Places Review is looking at Birkenhead and Bebington.
The current consultations are to help decide what changes should be made to reduce surplus places at schools in these areas.
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Foundation and Trust status - more information
Current Consultations
Birkenhead and Bebington
School Consultations on change of status
These consultations are operated by the governing body of the school.
Responses to the consultation should be made directly to the school concerned.
Calday Grange Grammar School - Final consultation on change of status from Foundation to Foundation with a Trust - ends 23rd June 2008
Woodchurch High School - Preliminary consultation on change of status from Community to Foundation with a Trust - ends 4th July 2008
Closed Consultations
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