Governors slam school plan

by Jonathan Petre OPPOSITION to the Westminster bishops' plan for the reorganisation of Catholic secondary schools in West London came this week from the governors of four schools in the area.
The opposition was timed to coincide with a mid-week meeting of the bishops in the Council for Diocesan Affairs which considered the reaction to their set of decisions released last November. The bishops are soon to release a statement giving detailed reasons for their original decision.
The governors of St Edmund's school, Hammersmith, have appealed to Cardinal Hume, chairman of the Coun ell for Diocesan Affairs, to reconsider the plan.
In a letter to Cardinal Hume dated January 17, the governors say that it is clear the bishops' decision was made on the basis of the 'Bruce Report' but this did not reflect a consensus among the schools. The letter goes on to say that there fore the bishops should take into account the "true opinions and feelings" of those concerned with education in the area.
According to the bishops' plan eight forms of entry — each consisting of about thirty places — are to be lost from the seven secondary schools in the West London area and two pairs of schools are to amalgamate.
The governors of St Thomas More school in Chelsea, in a letter sent out to parents this week, say they find themselves "unable to accept the bishops plan" The governors of Cardinal Manning school have also voiced their dissatisfaction with the plan. Mr Thomas Grogan, headmaster of the school, said that although he was prepared to make a go of the plan, he still had some reservations.
It was also reaffirmed this week that the London Oratory school, which is not under the statutory control of the diocese, will not accept the bishops' plan to reduce by one form of entry.