Six primaries to close in Liverpool shake-up

by Joanna Moorhead SIX Catholic primary schools are to close this summer as part of a major reorganisation in Liverpool archdiocese.
The shake-up, proposed by the archdiocesan education department in April 1989 and agreed this week with the Departthent of Education and Science; will see the closure of St Alexander's Primary, Bootle; St Anthony's infant and junior departments, Vauxhall; St Alban's Primary, Vauxhall; St Alphonusus' Infants, Vauxhall; St Cyril's infant and junior department, Netherley; and St Sylvester's infant and junior departments, Vauxhall.
Two new schools, which will open in September of this year, will also be created under the reorganisation. These are Mother Teresa Primary School in the St Sylvester buildings for the parishes of St Anthony and St Sylvester, and St Gerard Primary in the present St Gerard Junior School buildings to serve the parishes of St Alban, St Alphonsus and St Gerard.
St Winifride's, another local school, will accept pupils from St Alexander's, and the Our Lady of the Assumption Infant and Junior departments will take pupils who wish to transfer from St Cyril's, explained Bob Newman, director of schools in the diocese.,
The Department of Education and Science has rejected two of the proposals put forward by Liverpool archdiocese. St Cuthbcrt's Primary in Fairfield will not close as the diocese wished as, according to the Secretary of State, the knock-on costs which would be involved in enlarging another school, St Oswald's, could not be justified.
And the DES has also rejected the proposal to transfer the St Cyril's nursery to the nearby Our Lady of the Assumption Infant department, although the diocese intends to continue discussions on this.
Education Secretary Kenneth Clarke has told the archdiocese that he will probably approve its proposal to establish a new co-ed primary in the existing St John's School, Kirkdale, but that a final decision will depend on consultations with the governors.
The plans unveiled this week mark a further phase in an overall reorganisation which involves the closure of 13 primary schools, following a 40 per cent drop in the number of pupils.
"Our objectives are to bring about better educational provision by grouping children within more educationally viable schools and to reduce the costs of heating, lighting, cleaning, and maintaining buildings by taking out of use over 2,000 surplus places," said Mr Newman.
Mr Newman said head teachers and staff for the new and reorganised schools had already been appointed, and would now have their appointments confirmed.
He said the archdiocese understood that some of the schools which were to close had served Liverpool's Catholics well for many years.
"Their closure will naturally be lamented. The schools commission and the trustees understand this. However, we also feel that the changes are in the best interests of today's and tomorrow's children and that they provide a great opportunity for school communities to adjust and develop to meet present and future needs," he said.