Parents fight to save threatened school

BATTLING parents facing defeat over Our Lady’s School, from left, Nigel Pemberton, Paula Ogden-Pemberton, Mandy Austin and Nigel Austin

Parents waging an 11th-hour battle to save their Moorside Catholic school face defeat tonight.

They have failed to convince Oldham Council to save Our Lady’s Primary School, despite backing from Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Phil Woolas.

Unless councillors at the cabinet meeting overturn an officer’s report, the school will merge with Sacred Heart RC Primary, Derker, by next year.

Both schools have many empty places and budget problems, and staff are uncertain about their futures.

The Salford Diocese wants to close Our Lady’s, in Turf Pit Lane, because the site is too small for expansion and spend over £1 million enlarging Sacred Heart in Whetstone Hill Road.

The cabinet report said that only one parent from Sacred Heart commented on the plans, but parents from Our Lady’s have responded in large numbers against the idea.

Parents have moved half the pupils from Our Lady’s to near-by but non-Catholic Hodge Clough Infant or Junior Schools, and the report says: “Parents are opting for a Moorside education over a Catholic one.”

One of the parents fighting to save Our Lady’s is Nigel Pemberton, who said: “The education provided is far superior to any other school in the area and it excels in Ofsted reports. People have moved into Moorside because the school has such a good reputation.

“Plans were drawn up to expand the school two years ago.”

His wife, Paula Ogden-Pemberton, said: “I don’t think many children will go to Sacred Heart because the school is too far away. You cannot walk your children there easily, it is more than a mile and takes two buses.”

Another parent, Phil Austin, said: “We have started a petition and there is a Facebook site to support the school.

“If they do vote to merge it, I will be very disappointed. It is a perfectly good school.”

Mr Woolas has written to Councillor Jack Hulme, cabinet member for children and families, claiming there has been inadequate consultation, and failure to take account of good educational standards at Our Lady’s.

He said: “I am convinced by the arguments of the parents and my biggest worry is that the future of faith-based schooling for my Roman Catholic constituents is being withered away.

“I am calling on the council to overturn the recommendation or at least pause the decision for consideration of the parents’ points. There is a danger that the school will be unviable by default.”

Mr Woolas said: “They have made up their minds which shows the consultation is not consultation with an open mind.

“In five years time I predict that they will be looking to open a new school in the area, because of Housing Market Renewal and private development in the area. This is typical old fashioned narrow-minded planning. It doesn’t look into the wider community.”