Lorely Listens: Save Shirley Schools.

Written by Lorely Burt MP and published in Solihull Times on Tue 8th Nov 2005

St James' School in Shirley is threatened with closure, and families throughout Shirley are worried about the repercussions.

St James' School has been at the heart of community life in Shirley for 160 years and is the only faith school in Shirley. I have been there twice now, and been totally impressed with the dedication of the teachers - who must have the longest average service record of any school in the Borough - but most of all I was impressed with the children.

Pupils have written imploring me to save their school, ex-pupils turned up to see me to tell me how their time here prepared them for further educational success and parents and grandparents have implored me to help.

Sentiment is not enough, however, when hard educational decisions have to be made. The school is not financially viable as things stand: everyone acknowledges that. If St James' did not close, would that not mean another Shirley school would have to close instead? This fear must not be allowed to drive a wedge between parents and schools in Shirley: we must support each other and work for a solution together.

I'm still talking to head teachers from the two other main schools affected as well as governors and parent groups, so it would be wrong to come up with any glib answers at this stage.

However, these facts are clear: Shirley schools combined have a capacity of 92% at infant and junior level. If St James' closes four things will happen: other Shirley schools will be overcrowded, we will have no capacity to accommodate any increase in demand in the future, parental choice will be diminished and a perfectly good school will be lost to the community.

The Council are consulting until the 16th December. You can get a form by phoning the council (0121 704 6000) or downloading from http://www.solihull.gov.uk/wwweduc/other/Shirley-area-form.pdf.

You can write to me on this or any other matter at House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA or at burtl@parliament.uk. You will also find a link to the parents' action group on my website: www.lorelyburt.org.uk.