IT WAS interesting to read in the BEN on January 30, Governor Eric Smallman's view regarding the proposed closure of Longsight Primary School, and the selective reading of the inspectors' reports by the Education Committee.
In the early days of Local Management, when the Tories were in power, the LEA were quite supportive of schools. That seems to have changed now a Labour Government are giving the orders. I would have thought an enlightened council would have used more carrot than stick in its approach. Mr Smallman informs us that the support received from the council was minimal.
The trouble is that once the slightest trace of punishment enters a policy, like school inspections, or Performance Management, the supporting element disappears. There is a reluctance to open up about any problems, an essential part of any scheme for improvement.
Moreover it's the LEA bringing the punitive element into play and not the inspectors.
The NUT in Bolton fully supports the parents in their campaign to prevent Longsight's closure, and we urge other schools to support their struggle. This will not be the last time a school will need such support.
M W Greenhalgh
NUT President
(Bolton Association)
Shaftesbury Avenue
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