Schools rebuild plan considered

Plans to rebuild or refurbish 20 secondary and eight special schools in Liverpool are going before the council.

The plans, which affect 21,000 pupils, will see several schools merge and some close in an attempt to improve grades and attendance figures across the city.

Parklands High School in Speke, one of the country's worst-performing schools, could team up with the Blue Coat.

Croxteth Community Comprehensive is set to close, with boys going to De La Salle and girls to St John Bosco.

The government has previously said that one of the district's three schools must close.

If these proposals get the go ahead, the Roman Catholic De La Salle would become a non-faith boys school.

These plans are about building first-class facilities Councillor Warren Bradley

Parklands, which was placed into special measures in 2007 after 1% of pupils gained A*- C at GCSE level, could go into partnership with one of the country's most successful schools, The Blue Coat in Wavertree.

The scheme would see Parklands becoming the first National Challenge Trust School in the city, securing up to an additional £1m in government funding over the next three years.

Other proposals include combining St Margaret's High in Aigburth and city centre school Archbishop Blanch High at the Innovation Park on Edge Lane.

A joint faith academy would be created in south Liverpool, which would see New Heys Community Comprehensive in Allerton move in with St Benedicts Catholic College in Garston.

'Improved opportunities'

Shorefields Community Comprehensive, in Dingle, would be established as a charitable trust school.

Further proposals being made in the report include a brand new school building, on a new site, for Archbishop Beck Catholic College, Walton and extensive refurbishment, on its existing site, for Notre Dame Catholic College, Everton Valley.

Liverpool City Council Leader, Councillor Warren Bradley, said: "Building Schools for the Future gives us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform education across the city, and we're determined to work in partnership with teachers, parents, governors and pupils to make sure we get it right.

"These plans are about building first-class, 21st Century education facilities, which help our young people develop as confident, skilled, job-ready individuals. At the heart of everything we are proposing is a firm commitment to improve opportunities and outcomes for every pupil."

If approved by Liverpool City Council's executive board on Friday, the plans will go before the government to secure £500m funding from the national Building Schools For the Future (BSF) programme.