PARENTS and children are calling on the Prime Minister to halt plans to sell off more than half the grazing land at The Deane School's famous farm, and turn other green land into a car park.

The move follows Bolton Council's plans to relocate Woodside Senior School - in Chorley New Road - to the The Deane School campus, creating a more compact comprehesive school and a separate school for children with learning difficulties.

Cash from the sale of two pieces of grazing land would be invested back into both schools.

But the news has spurred angry parents to organise petitions to save the 10 acres of land at the school. Some are calling on Tony Blair to intervene to save what they say has gained a reputation as one of Britain's foremost school-based rural studies units.

Nurse Gillian Gallagher, whose daughter Christina is a pupil, said: "I am disgusted that none of the parents have been consulted.

"The reason I chose this school was because of the farm and its educational benefits. Children don't just look after animals, it teaches them responsibility, they learn about different species, the environment, a whole range of things. I will not let this matter lie." Education chiefs have stressed that the farm will continue, although three quarters of the grazing land, used by more than 80 large animals, has been declared "surplus to requirements".

Ponies, cows, donkeys, African pigmy goats, sheep, and pot bellied pigs currently live on the farm, along with ducks, swans, turkeys, chickens and geese and other small animals.

One area of the farmland may be turned into a car park for staff at Woodside Senior School.

Deane School teacher Mr Fred Tyldesley, who started the farm 33 years ago, said: "It is extremely unfortunate that the only way it appears that funds can be obtained for the development of our school and Woodside School is by selling off a large proportion of essential grazing land. "I can't comment at this stage on the likely future of our larger grazing animals until I know exactly how much land we will be able to use. But I promise that as far as I am concerned, we will make the best use of however much land we keep."

"The priority must be the education in every sense of pupils at both schools, and obviously we must strive to achieve the best possible working environment for them.

"We have always welcomed the children from Woodside School and look forward to welcoming them in the future.

"I hope the Woodside School staff will be encouraged to reconsider their request for a separate 30 space car park on one of the farm fields, and use our existing car park, which daily has upwards of 40 spare spaces."

He said that even saving this extra grazing land would have a significant effect on which animals would stay.

Headteacher of The Deane School, Mr Derek O'Brien, also stressed that the farm would stay, but added: "We can't continue the way we have been doing. It is a school that has a farm attached, not a farm that has a school attached." He said no decision had been made on the number or type of animals that will go, but that it would be a gradual process over a number of years.

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