Almondbury parents are today making a desperate last-ditch effort to get local councillors to hear their protests over a schools merger.
Several parents have written to Kirklees Cabinet members pleading with them to look at the response to the public consultation on the Almondbury schools merger.
Later today, the Cabinet will decide whether to take council officers’ advice to proceed to the next stage of the proposal, which would see Almondbury High, Almondbury Juniors and Greenside Infant and Nursery School all based on the same site.
Parents are angry their 86 per cent vote against the merger has been ignored by education officers.
They claim the entire consultation process has been a “whitewash” in which the council has gone through the motions of consultation having already made a decision.
Becky Donkersley, a lead campaigner, said: “We don’t want the Cabinet members to take the officers’ summary at face value as it does not represent the views of the public, who are 86 per cent against the proposal.
“We want Kirklees to go through a proper democratic process but many parents feel the Almondbury merger is already a done deal.”
She added that parents’ questions regarding what educational benefits the merger would deliver for their children, and how leadership and management will operate still remained unanswered, while council officers concern themselves with the physical buildings, rather than educational aspects.
In her letter, she criticised the council for the “dismissive nature” with which it has dealt with parents’ genuine concerns.
The letter continues: “Throughout the consultation we were told to put down our concerns and offer suggestions as to what we would like to see. “This statement does not give sufficient detail on how these major concerns and worries will be dealt with by the council.
“I ask cabinet members to fully consider how these concerns would be resolved and ask officers to give more information on how they intend to achieve this.
“The report states that pupils are supportive of the move. Yet the data given later in the report shows 74 per cent of pupils filling in the report strongly opposed the move.
“I urge cabinet members to carefully consider the reports and to read the actual response put into the consultation. There have been many things said which need to be addressed before this is given approval to move on to stage 2 of consultation.”
Mrs Donkersley said that Clr Molly Walton had already replied saying she would take her comments on board at tonight’s meeting.
