'We will not go without a fight'

Published 4 Nov 2009 15:03 2 Comments

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AS PARENTS at closure-threatened Moorpark Primary call for a joint campus with St James' Primary for their youngsters, a local MSP has backed their campaign.

Renfrewshire Council's proposal to close Moorpark Primary as part of its investment plans for pre-five and primary education in north Renfrew led to consultations this week with concerned parents at Renfrew schools.

If the plans went ahead, Moorpark Primary children would be moved to Newmains and Kirklandneuk Primaries.

Local MSP Wendy Alexander blasted: "If 2,791 new homes have been consented in Renfrew and less than 500 yet occupied - why are we closing a school?

"Considering Renfrew only has about 10,000 households in total, the town is growing by near a third and yet a school is being closed."

Councillor Alex Murrin added: "If the council's proposals went ahead, Kirklandneuk Primary would go from 255 pupils to 475 pupils - almost doubling in four years.

"I've also had parents from Newmains Primary writing to me. The size of the school at the moment means they're having to have their lunch breaks in three different sittings - how will they cope with extra pupils?"

Councillor Eddie Grady said: "The Scottish Government got voted in promising to reduce class sizes and here they are putting class sizes up by these proposals.

"The response from the parents was overwhelmingly in favour of a joint campus - that's what they're wanting."

Wendy Alexander added that a joint campus would make financial sense too.

She said: "Moorpark parents' favoured option of a joint campus requires just £10million from the Scottish Government. That would just be 1.5 per cent of the £800million on offer from the Scottish Government, to let Kirklandneuk be refurbished as planned, and for St James and Moorpark to have a new joint campus."

The council's plans at the moment, she said, asked for just £5million - less than 1 per cent of the cash on offer. She said: "Why are they not even bidding for the extra £5million to give local people what they want?"

Margaret Lappin, secretary of the Moorpark parents' steering group, said: "They're just so determined that they're closing Moorpark Primary and they're not going to take any other word for it.

"We've now got to put all our objections in writing to them, draft a letter to them and send a copy out to every child in Moorpark. We also have over 1,000 signatures of people calling for a shared campus. We're not going out without a fight."

A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: "We will consider all the points raised during our consultations but there are serious practical problems with building a shared campus. The council would have to find an extra £6million on top of the £20million that it is already investing just at a time when all local authorities are facing making huge budget savings across the board.

"Shared campuses usually have a relatively similar number of pupils in each school but there would be four times as many pupils from St James as from Moorpark. It's doubtful that this would be viable.

"Currently school rolls are falling. In the current economic climate, construction has virtually stopped and there are actually very few school age children in the homes that have been built."

This article appeared in The Gazette 04 Nov 09

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330Harry
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Nov 19, 15:38
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Moved To Arkleston but still think its sad that they are closing moorpark

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louise
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Dec 29, 20:05
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it's not fair iv been in moorpark for 6 full years, when i moved to moorpark i thought it woul be a great school for my personality and for my friends and family

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