D-day for three Bristol schools facing axe

Tomorrow is D-day for three small Bristol primary schools facing the axe.

That is when the city council's ruling Labour cabinet will decide on a recommendation to shut Stockwood Green Primary, St Pius X Catholic Primary in Withywood and St George's Church of England Primary on Brandon Hill.

Campaigners for the schools are expected to once again state their objections and these will continue to receive backing from opposition councillors.

But the cabinet councillor responsible for schools, Peter Hammond, and officers say they have answered the points raised by opponents and they believe the closures – part of a city-wide review of 110 primary schools – should go ahead.

They want the schools to shut between 2010 and 2013, once work has been completed on the schools where pupils would be expected to transfer.

In a report that will be given to the cabinet at its 4pm meeting, Kate Campion, the council's programme director for transforming learning, says: "The primary school review recommendations are aimed at improving education across the city now and into the future. It would be a grievous mistake to isolate the issue of the future of the three schools from that wider purpose."

She warns that if the cabinet does not agree the closures there is a risk the city could miss out on £12 million of Government money that forms a key part of the initial £46-million primary review proposals.

This could mean that plans for rebuilding or redevelopment of Cabot, Whitehall, Millpond, Air Balloon, Sea Mills, Parson Street and St Nicholas of Tolentine schools could be at risk, the report says.

The bulk of the primary review was agreed by the cabinet some weeks ago, but members agreed that the full council should debate the closure plans before a decision was made on the three schools.

Conservative councillors are continuing to call for a rethink of the review as a whole.

Tory education spokesman John Goulandris said Mr Hammond had consistently failed to explain the rationale behind the closure recommendations. He said: "The Government advice remains to close the poorest performing schools. The Labour administration has not said why it is ignoring national guidelines."

Bristol Liberal Democrats' education spokeswoman Clare Campion-Smith said: "If the cabinet decision on Thursday is to close the schools then this will be a very sad moment for the three schools and their communities.

"The immediate focus must be on the children who will be affected. Parents, carers and staff must be kept fully informed of all developments and supported as they plan for the best outcome for the children.

"For the sake of the children (at the three Bristol schools) the cabinet must insist that the process they have set in train is funded and managed to the highest standards."