Bristol primaries under review

Dickon Hooper
The Politics Show West

Big is beautiful in Bristol schools at the moment.

St George Primary School faces closure

The city council has ambitious plans to merge several of them, cutting surplus places, raising standards - and making the resulting schools bigger.

This will unlock £46m of government money which can be used for refurbishment and expansion.

Almost one in five of the city's infant, junior or primary schools has more than 20% of its places surplus to need. But the plans have run into opposition.

Parents and teachers are unhappy at the thought of their children going to bigger schools.

"If you talk to parents, unless they are convinced about having a large school, most would say they want a relatively small school," said Mike Keeling, head teacher at Connaught Primary in Knowle, a suburb in Bristol.

Connaught is scheduled to merge, possible on to a new site, with nearby Ilminster Avenue Primary. This would create a school of almost 600 pupils.

SCHOOLS FACING MERGER Air Balloon Hill Infants and Juniors Two Mile Hill Infants and Juniors Bishopsworth CoE Junior and Highridge Infants Victoria Park Community Infants and Juniors Sea Mills Infants and Juniors Connaught Primary and Ilminster Avenue Primary

Parent Mil Lusk, who is mobilising opposition to the plans, agreed: "I don't want this school to close. I think it's not good for this community. It was my first choice."

For Mil and others, the Labour-run council is imposing a top-down solution on their community, one they are powerless to fight and which could have much larger implications.

"If they don't get one-on-one care in a small school, they can end up being disruptive," said Penny Hopkins, a local development worker who attended a meeting against the planned merger.

The parents have some political support.

Richard Eddy, Leader of the Conservative Group, said: "What I am concerned about is the one-size-fits-all mentality. In some cases it may work, elsewhere there is real concern."

The Tories also oppose the council's more radical plans to close three primary schools in the city.

St Pius, Stockwood Green and St George all face the axe, although the council is to make a final decision at the end of the month, in the face of steely opposition.

Clare Gundry, head teacher at St George, said one in five of her pupils had come from bigger schools - which had failed them.

"The ethos here is every child matters. They thrive."

Better leadership

But the council is having none of it.

Deputy Leader Peter Hammond said bigger schools offered better leadership and opportunities to children.

"We recognise that parents, pupils and teaching staff will have strong views about any change to the school network, particularly where it affects their own school.

"However, the council has to consider the overall picture across our city - what will make a difference to benefit most children and future generations - and what has to be done to help secure the investment many our schools need."

After this first wave of mergers, more are planned, as is federation and expansion.

Whether they get the go-ahead depends on who ultimately wins the first round in the battle over Bristol's schools.