HEAD TEACHER Andy Pugh has spoken of his anguish at having to tell his staff that Kirklees Council plans to close their school.

He told the Examiner that teachers at Castle Hall School were “devastated” to learn the news yesterday. Mr Pugh said: “They are extremely disappointed.”

Councillors first proposed closing the Mirfield school last year. But parents and teachers had hoped a change of power in Kirklees in January would lead to Castle Hall being saved.

Mr Pugh promised the fight to keep the school open would continue. He said: “There’s lots of opposition from parents and governors to the plan.”

The joint Labour-Lib Dem Kirklees Cabinet announced the closure proposal yesterday as part of a new plan to invest £200m of Government money into schools.

The news will come as a bitter blow to hundreds of pupils, parents and teachers who have campaigned to keep the high-achieving school open since it was first lined up for the axe last year.

The new Labour/Lib Dem Kirklees Council Cabinet announced plans yesterday to spend £200m of Government cash on schools in Mirfield, Dewsbury, Batley and the Spen Valley.

The two parties ousted the Conservatives from power in January over the Tory plan for north Kirklees schools.

Yesterday’s proposal has some significant differences from the original Conservative plan announced last September.

Unlike the Conservatives, Labour and the Lib Dems have proposed opening a new sixth form college in Dewsbury. The coalition has also ditched controversial Tory plans to build a new high school in Birkenshaw.

But – as with the original Conservative plan – the new Labour/Lib Dem proposal includes closing Castle Hall.

Clr John Smithson, Lib Dem Cabinet member for schools, recommended the plan last night.

He said: “There is an urgent need to significantly improve the educational opportunities and achievements of all our children and young people.

“Over the last month we have visited every high school in North Kirklees and give full credit to the management and governance of our existing high schools, who have achieved some impressive advances in recent years.

“Despite these efforts, however, standards are not improving fast enough.

“The current pattern of school provision and resourcing in north Kirklees is not achieving its potential, and the much-needed improvement in standards cannot be made without us making radical changes.”

Clr Ken Smith, Labour Cabinet member for children and young people, added: “Too many of our high schools currently struggle to achieve financial stability, which can seriously restrict the range of curriculum provision and student support. We need to have high schools that are financially viable, offer a broad curriculum and feel welcoming to all students.

“This really is our chance to create real benefits for our children and young people.”

Parents, teachers and governors will be asked for their views on the parts of the Labour/Lib Dem plan which differ from the original Conservative proposal.

Consultation will run from April 20 to June 5. Cabinet will make a final decision on the plan in July.

A separate proposal is expected later this year for schools in Huddersfield, Colne Valley, Holme Valley and Denby Dale.

The Plan Unveiled:

Castle Hall to close

Mirfield Free Grammar to expand from 1,360 to 1,500 places

A new sixth form college in Dewsbury town centre for 400 to 500 students

Birkdale High to close

Thornhill High to expand from 900 to 1,200 places

Earlsheaton Technology College to expand from 947 to 1,350 pupils

Westborough High to remain with 1,200 pupils

A co-educational school for 1,350 pupils on Batley Girls High School site

No final proposal for Batley Business and Enterprise College

Whitcliffe Mount to expand from 1,200 to 1,500 pupils

Spen Valley Sports College to expand from 900 to 1,200 places

No new high school in Birkenshaw

No change to Heckmondwike Grammar or St John Fisher Catholic High

All middle schools to close

Conservative Plan Sept 2008

Castle Hall to close

Mirfield Free Grammar to expand from 1,360 to 2,000 places

Birkdale High to close

Thornhill High to expand from 900 to 1,200 places

Earlsheaton Technology College to expand from 947 to 1,200 pupils

Westborough High to close

Sixth form at St John Fisher Catholic High to close

Batley Girls’ High to close

A co-educational school for 1,650 pupils on Batley Business and Enterprise College site

Upper age limit at Whitcliffe Mount to rise from 16 to 18

Spen Valley Sports College to expand from 900 to 1,200 places

New high school for 1,200 pupils on site of Birkenshaw Middle School

Sixth-form at Heckmondwike Grammar to expand from 400 to 900

All middle schools to close

AN angry father vowed last night to keep fighting to save Castle Hall School in Mirfield.

Alan Wilkinson, whose two daughters go to the school, said: “I’m shocked and appalled that Kirklees still wants to close Castle Hall. This has come as a bolt out of the blue.”

Mr Wilkinson, of Mirfield, also criticised the Labour/Lib Dem Cabinet for not including either Mirfield school in next month’s consultation.

He said: “There will be no further consultation either on Castle Hall or on Mirfield Free Grammar, which is appalling. They are trying to bulldoze this through.”

Mr Wilkinson, whose daughters Jade, 15, and Jasmine, 11, attend the school, said councillors Ken Smith and John Smithson had met 200 parents at Castle Hall on Tuesday – less than 24 hours before they unveiled plans to close the school.

“They wouldn’t give us any indication of the proposal. They said they were listening to us, but I think they only came to the school so they could tick a box saying they’d been.”

Parents’ pressure group Retain Education at Castle Hall (REACH) meets at the school tonight at 7.30pm to plan their next step.

Spokeswoman Karen Rowling, whose daughter Jemma, 11, goes to the school, said: “We need the presence to be bigger and better than before – if that’s possible.”

Castle Hall head Andy Pugh said he broke the news of the closure plan to teachers yesterday afternoon.

He said: “I’ve just had to tell them for the second time in six months that the school has been proposed for closure. They are extremely disappointed.”

Kirklees Conservative leader Clr Jim Dodds mocked Lib Dem leader Clr Kath Pinnock.

He said: “Clr Pinnock labelled our original proposals last September as being a ‘dog’s dinner’, but she clearly had no better alternative up her sleeve. Six months down the line she and her cohorts have come up with proposals that reflect 80% of that same ‘dog’s dinner’.”

Clr Dodds also criticised Dewsbury Labour MP Shahid Malik.

He said: “Parents who campaigned for Castle Hall will be appalled. They enlisted the support of their MP Shahid Malik only to find he is incapable of even securing the support of Labour’s council leader Clr Mehboob Khan who is happy to recommend the closure of CastleHall.”

Mr Malik said: “I’m angry that the new adm-inistration has stuck with the Conservative proposals for Mirfield. Closing Castle Hall and enlarging Mirfield Free Grammar will rightly anger and upset the majority of people in Mirfield.”