Council cabinet backs plans to shut down Wigan primary school

Abram Bryn Gates Primary in Bamfurlong has been selected from a list of two schools which were considered for closure as part of a public consultation in the area.

It comes as the birth rate in the area continues to fall and the number of pupils is projected to plummet with an estimated surplus of up to 49 places by 2023.

Residents were asked for their views on cutting the number of local primary schools from four to three by closing either Bryn Gates or Holy Family Catholic Primary in Platt Bridge.

The council concluded that closing Abram Bryn Gates, which has a larger budget deficit and is housed in an older building, would be the better option.

The cabinet endorsed this recommendation at a meeting on Thursday February 17 which means a statutory consultation will now take place.

Cath Pealing, assistant director for education at the local authority, said the new consultation will seek views and answer queries of governors, parents and carers, staff, and wider stakeholders of Bryn Gates.

She said: “All local authorities have a statutory duty to monitor sufficiency of school places for all residents and this involves balancing supply and demand and ensuring we have enough school places where we need them or reducing places where there are too many if it has a negative impact.

“A school’s budget is primarily based on the number of pupils on roll. If pupil numbers continue to fall over a sustained period of time, this would have a significant, negative, impact on school budgets and can have a detrimental impact on the educational offer for educational standards.

“We want to ensure that all children in the borough have access to the best education.

“We are aware that considering school closures is an upsetting scenario for those involved and we do not consider these options lightly.

“We have been monitoring the situation in the Abram area for a number of years.

A report to the cabinet explains the rationale behind the recommendation.

Holy Family is currently in the process of being convereted into an academy, which means that later this academic year, the council will no longer control it.

But the school, which was rated inadequate by Ofsted in 2016, is now rated good while Abram Bryn Gates has been judged to be "requiring improvemen"’.

The council also said the area does not have the capacity to provide a place at a Catholic school for all of the children attending Holy Family Catholic Primary.

And although Abram Bryn Gates has "rural status", the local authority said it is "confident" that pupils will have a ‘reasonable offer’ of a primary school place.

Parents did not want to almagate the schools, according to the council report.

If no action is taken to reduce the surplus school places, the council report says, the current budget deficits at both schools will continue to increase.

The local authority is responsible for meeting the deficit which by 2024 is projected to be around £450,000 across both schools – £288,722 for Abram Bryn Gates Primary and £165,824 for Holy Family Catholic Primary School.

The cabinet approved the recommendation.

The National Secular Society has previously blasted the plans, saying that it leaves the area with no non-religious school, the nearest one to Bamfurlong being Nicol Mere Primary School, Ashton, two and a half miles away.

Councillors also endorsed the annual budget, including a proposal to raise council tax by 2.99 per cent, which must now be ratified by full council in March.

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