Tory failure leaves Chase School on it's own (Southend Liberal Democrats)

Southend Liberal Democrats <info@southendlibdems.co.uk>

Tory failure leaves Chase School on it's own

September 24, 2008 4:28 PM

Chase School, which only two years ago was closed and re-opened as a "new start" school is to reorganise again following the decision of the Tory Cabinet.

One of the only two schools under the Council control (Shoebury is the other) is to be turned into a National Challenge Trust School whereby it links with another school and shares a joint governing body. This brings with it an up to an additional £1mil over three years.

With the ink hardly dry on the brochures of the "new start" school, Chase High is to be "sold" of to Trust status and not given sufficient time to show progress. "This is outrageous", said Cllr Graham Longley, Leader of the LibDem group on Southend Council. "It is a clear admission of failure by the Tory Council who can't see further than the £ signs in their eyes and are disturbing the education of the pupils once again".

"The decision made by the cabinet on Tuesday 23rd September was flawed and was not based on the full information", he went on to say. "The report was based on insufficient data, using only one yeas statistics and there was no reference to the situation of the Chase Sports Centre or what will happen to the new sports-pitches arrangement. Nor were the current changes, affecting all schools with the introduction of the new Diploma system and different curriculum arrangements even mentioned".

This is not a decision taken for the benefit of the pupils but one to save Southend council money by passing the responsibility to someone else. It is shameful," he said.