PARENTS and teachers in and around Huddersfield will discover the fate of their schools by 2010, a top councillor revealed today.

Clr Jim Dodds was speaking following the announcement of radical plans for schools in the Dewsbury area.

Kirklees Council’s Cabinet member for children’s services said: “We will start work on south Kirklees (which covers the Huddersfield area) later this year. There will be an initial round of consultation with head teachers, governors and residents early next year.

“We should be in a position to announce our plans for schools in south Kirklees by late 2009 or early 2010, but there’s no definite timetable as yet. For south Kirklees, the first brick in the wall will not be put in until 2013.”

Yesterday Clr Dodds announced plans for a massive shake-up of schools in Mirfield, Dewsbury, Batley and other towns in north Kirklees. The £200m package involves expanding some schools and shutting 11.

The Conservative plans would see the closure of Birkdale High School and Westborough High School, Dewsbury, with a site being developed for a proposed new academy for North Kirklees.

Four middle schools – Birkenshaw, Gomersal CE, and West End and Whitechapel, Cleckheaton – would also shut as Kirklees plans to return to a two- tier system, with children changing school only at the age of 11.

Castle Hall, which has several hundred pupils from the Mirfield area, could be closed by August 2013. The students would transfer to an extended Mirfield Free Grammar School.

Kirklees Lib Dem leader Clr Kath Pinnock reacted angrily to the plans. The Cleckheaton councillor said the plan was “fatally flawed” and would force sixth-form pupils in Batley to make long journeys to school.

But Clr Dodds defended the plans yesterday.

He said: “The majority of children in the Batley area will not have longer journeys as she claims, most will have shorter journeys under the proposals. If we can create the confidence in school provision to retain the 800-plus children who currently exit Kirklees for schools in neighbouring council areas, then their journeys will certainly be shorter.”

Turn to the next page for a breakdown on how each area will be affected.

BATLEY

Opening: A co-educational centre for learning for 11- to 16-year-olds on Batley Business and Enterprise College site for 1,650 pupils.

Closing: Batley Girls’ High School, Visual Arts College, Batley Business and Enterprise College.

BIRKENSHAW, BIRSTALL AND GOMERSAL

Opening: A co-educational centre for learning for 11- to 16-years-olds on Birkenshaw Middle School site for 1,200 pupils.

Closing: Birkenshaw Middle School, Gomersal CE Middle School.

Changing: Upper age limit to increase from nine to 11 at Birkenshaw CE First and Nursery, East Bierley CE First School and Gomersal St Mary’s CE First and Nursery School. Gomersal First School to move to Gomersal Middle School site.

Cleckheaton, Dewsbury and Heckmonwike, Liversedge, Mirfield and Ravensthorpe on next page.

CLECKHEATON

Closing: St Luke’s CE First School, West End Middle School, RM Grylls Middle School and Whitechapel Middle School.

Changing: Upper age limit to increase from 16 to 18 at Whitcliffe Mount Specialist Business and Enterprise College. Upper age limit to increase from nine to 11 at Whitechapel Middle School, Scholes First and Nursery School, Howard Park First and Nursery School and West End Middle School.

DEWSBURY

Opening: A co-educational academy on the Westborough High School site for 1,650 11- to 16-year-olds.

Closing: Birkdale High School and Westborough High School.

Changing: Pupil places at the Community Science College at Thornhill to rise from 900 to 1,200 pupils. Pupil places at Earlsheaton Technology College to rise from 947 to 1,200. Upper age limit to fall from 18 to 16 at St John Fisher Catholic High School.

HECKMONDWIKE, LIVERSEDGE, MIRFIELD AND RAVENSTHORPE

Closing: Castle Hall School and Specialist Language College.

Changing: Pupil places at Mirfield Free Grammar and Sixth Form increase from 1,360 to 2,000. Pupil places at Spen Valley Sports College to increase from 900 to 1,200. Pupil places for age 16 to 19 at Heckmondwike Grammar School to rise from 400 to 900.