Woolas joins school fight

MP rallies to save Our Lady’s

PARENTS marked the last day of term with a protest to save their school.

Our Lady’s RC Primary, Moorside, will close in a year’s time and merge with Sacred Heart, Derker.

The controversial move was voted through last month by councillors who blamed falling numbers and budget problems at both schools.

More than £1 million will be spent enlarging Sacred Heart because Our Lady’s is said to be too small to expand.

Campaigners wore T-shirts, waved placards and blew horns at Friday’s protest outside the Turf Pit Lane school.

They were joined by Oldham West and Saddleworth MP Phil Woolas who is concerned about the impact of the multi-million-pound Housing Market Renewal (HMR) scheme to rebuild near-by Derker.

He said: “I am asking the council to look again at this.

“I am worried that the increase in numbers in Derker from HMR has not been taken into account. It seems short-sighted to close a successful school only to have to re-open something else in a few years time.

“Roman Catholic education is being chipped away at in Oldham. If we close a popular Catholic primary school it will have a detrimental effect on the secondary schools.”

Mr Woolas is trying to clarify if the campaigners can appeal to the Government’s schools adjudicator.

Nigel and Paula Pemberton’s son, Oliver, has just finished the reception class at Our Lady’s.

The couple, of Greenside Avenue, Moorside, would not move Oliver to Sacred Heart and Paula (39) said: “It is too far away. In the bad weather there is absolutely no way I could get him down there.”

They had to appeal to get Oliver into Our Lady’s because it was oversubscribed and Nigel (44) added: “The falling numbers have only come from people panicking and taking their children out.”

Campaigners have produced posters for shops and residents.

Phil Austin (31), of Oakworth Croft, said: “It is a fantastic school. It is a local school for the local community. Why take that away?”

His daughter is a pupil and wife Mandy (34) added: “It gets good results. They are saying mixed classes, the two-form entry, is an issue but the school is surely proving that isn’t.”

Pat Glynn (72) who lives on the same street as the school joined the protest and said: “I think its a shame they are closing this lovely school. They are Catholic children, they should be in there.”