Children face more upheaval at school; Second move on the cards for pupils.Byline: Neil McKay PARENTS whose children were forced out of a popular village school are furious that their offspring now face another upheaval. Last summer parents and governors of Hamsteels Primary School in Esh Winning Esh Winning is a former colliery village in County Durham, in England. It is situated in the Deerness Valley five miles to the west of Durham. The village was founded by the Pease family in the 1850s to service a new mine on the Esh Estate. , County Durham “Durham county” redirects here. For other uses, see Durham County. County Durham is a county in north-east England. It can be used to refer to 4 different entities:
Falling classroom numbers and soaring repair costs were cited as the reason for the school closure, and the majority of the school's 54 four to 11-year-old pupils joined nearby Esh Winning Primary School in September, although some parents chose to send their children to neighbouring village schools. Now parents have been told that Esh Winning Primary will also close. A proposed new school is scheduled to be built in Esh Winning within the next three years. And while the Hamsteels parents welcome the new school, they are furious with council bosses for failing to grant the old one a stay of execution until 2011, when the new one is expected to be ready. Dawn Gardner, from Briardene, Esh Winning, whose sons Lewis, five, Jake, seven, and Liam, 10, are now at Esh Winning Primary, said: "Our argument was why couldn't they leave the school open until a decision was made on whether to build this new one? "That would have saved the children being moved twice. "When I heard there were plans for the new school already, I was shocked." The proposed new building, which would also house a public library and the Esh Learning Centre, could be built on the existing school site or on open space in the centre of the village. Local MP Hilary Armstrong Hilary Jane Armstrong (born 30 November 1945, Sunderland) is a British Labour Party politician. She has been Member of Parliament for North West Durham since 1987. On May 5, 2006 she was appointed as Minister for the Cabinet Office and Social Exclusion and Chancellor of the Duchy said: "This proposed new school would be great news for the whole of the community. "Coun Joe Armstrong For the British actor, see Joe Armstrong (actor). For the American politician, see Joe E. Armstrong. Joe Armstrong (1894-1975) succeeded Louis Rocca as chief scout of Manchester United F.C. after World War II. and myself have argued consistently that a new school for Esh Winning was the right way forward, including for children in the area affected by the closure of the primary school in Hamsteels. I am delighted that the decision has been taken by colleagues on the county council to consult on a new primary school for Esh Winning, which would hopefully open in September 2011. "I hope the people from Esh Winning and Hamsteels will forward their ideas so that we get the very best school possible to ensure the best opportunities for children and families locally." Ms Armstrong had called upon county bosses to reprieve reprieve (rĭprēv`): in law, see pardon. Hamsteels until a new school was built, and announced that she was "very disappointed" that her request was overlooked by Durham County Durham County has several possible meanings:
Anyone wanting to respond to the plans for a new school can email schoolplaces@durham.gov CAPTION(S): SAVE OUR SCHOOL Parents and pupils during their protest against the closure of Hamsteels Primary School. Picture: Tim McGuinness www.journallive.co.uk/buyaphoto ref: 01189437 |
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