Plan unveiled to axe 4,000 Liverpool school places

Oct 5 2007

UP to 4,000 high school places will be scrapped -along with four entire school - if a £400million shake-up of education in Liverpool goes ahead.

The ideas are part of the council’s plan to secure funding and to replace and upgrade its 30-plus high schools.

The revamp under the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme could start in 2010.

Under the plans, Allerton’s New Heys comprehensive and Garston Catholic secondary St Benedict’s would share a new building on one of the sites.

A high school in Croxteth would face closure, while Notre Dame would leave its historic base in Everton Valley, and city centre Archbishop Blanch would also move to a new site.

Sefton Park’s St Hilda’s, (pictured), would also move and start admitting boys for the first time.

Detailed plans of how the rest of the city’s high schools will be transformed by 2013 must be signed off by the council in February.

Faced with a predicted fall in pupil numbers from 30,000 to 21,000 by 2018, council officials confirmed two schools must close to guarantee funding.

The city’s education leader Cllr Paul Clein said: “They must be convinced that the huge investment will not go into schools which in years to come will no longer be viable.”

Cllr Clein said although St Benedict’s and Allerton’s New Heys would share a building, they would both “retain their existing ethos”.

The new school would be built by 2013 on one of the existing sites, with combined pupil places being cut by 900 to 1,050.

Cllr Clein also confirmed one high school in Croxteth will close due to falling rolls in north Liverpool.

Some 4,000 places, the equivalent of four schools, would also be cut across the city’s schools as part of the plans.

Cllr Clein said: “At the heart of everything laid out in the review is the commitment to improving opportunities and outcomes for every young person in Liverpool.

“This is a once in a generation opportunity for Liverpool to build modern, state-of-the-art, 21st century education facilities.”

Changes at St Hilda’s CofE high, in Sefton Park, would see an expansion to take in boys as part of the church’s desire to create a better balance of single and mixed-sex schools.

It would move to a yet-to-be identified site “in the south of the city”.

Notre Dame girls college would move to a new school next to Everton Park sports centre in Great Homer Street, with pupil places cut from 1,000 to 900

Officials from all the city’s schools will be invited to a special briefing at St George’s hall on October 29.

Information packs outlining the proposals will be sent to the parents of every pupil in Liverpool.

There will also be regular community and school meetings to discuss the plans in more detail up to the December 10 cut- off for consultation.

What it could mean for your school:

Work to be done by 2011:

Broughton Hall high and Cardinal Heenan part of a £38m rebuild to stay as separate schools, but share sixth-form block and other facilities.

West Derby comprehensive undergoing £27m rebuild, including high-quality sports facilities and learning resource centre. Pupil numbers to be cut from 1,300 to 1,000.

Alsop School in Walton to retain its 1,700 pupil places and have major rebuild.

King David high, Childwall – rebuild on current site with new facilities to incorporate neighbouring King David primary school and community centre.

Gateacre comprehensive and Hope special school – £30m rebuild including performance space, sports centre and potentially a swimming pool on land at the Reggie Smith memorial ground in Belle Vale.

Although outside the review, either Croxteth Comprehensive, De La Salle Catholic high and St John Bosco arts college to close.

How every school will be affected > > >