Black Country News: Talks over school axe; CRADLEY: Meetings resulting for falling rolls.Byline: By Dale Williams Dale Williams is a Welsh professional football (soccer) player, currently unattached, but most recently with Shrewsbury Town F.C. Beginning his career as a trainee with Yeovil Town, Williams played just four minutes for the Somerset club, after coming on for Arron Davies in CONSULTATION started today on a proposal to close Cradley High School Cradley High School is a secondary school located in the Cradley area of Halesowen, which is a town in the West Midlands county of England. It is situated in the west end of Halesowen near the borders with Stourbridge and Brierley Hill. As of 2006, the school had 606 pupils on roll. . Dudley Council has now published plans to axe the school from August 31, 2008. Just 68 pupils are due to start the school this September, compared to a published admission number of 150. A council spokesman said the fall in numbers in numbered parts; as, a book published in numbers. See also: Number year-on-year follows the decline in the birthrate birth·rate or birth rate n. The ratio of total live births to total population in a specified community or area over a specified period of time, often expressed as the number of live births per 1,000 of the population per year. and the reduction of primary school numbers. Currently, 19 per cent of places at Cradley High School are unfilled and this is expected to rise to 27 per cent by September 2006. With fewer pupils opting to start their secondary education there and, as funding falls, it will be unable to continue to offer the present level of education. Parents have received copies of the consultation document explaining the proposal. The consultation will run for six weeks, three weeks before the summer break and three weeks at the start of the autumn term. Coun Liz Walker, cabinet member for children's services, said: "It is very sad when schools have to close because of falling rolls, but it is in the best interest of children that they attend a school with stable numbers. "We are at the mercy of government funding which will only maintain actual pupil places in each school. It will not fund surplus capacity in any school. "Schools have to have sufficient funds to employ specialist staff to teach the appropriate curriculum so pupils can exercise the choices and options which should be available to all pupils in the borough. During the consultation there will be a series of meetings for parents, staff, governors and pupils." CAPTION(S): CLOSURE... just 68 pupils are starting at Cradley High in September. |
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