School redundancy fears sparked by wrong letter to council

Shropshire Council bosses today admitted sending the wrong letter to parents and carers of a village school sparking fears among staff they could face redundancy.

Council officials apologised for the mistake over the letter sent out to notify people of consultation meetings.

Parents from Ifton Heath Primary School and Rhyn Park School and Performing Arts College, both in St Martins near Oswestry, received letters from the council about the possible merger.

But one line of the letter read: "If Ifton Heath Primary School were to close, the staff would be declared redundant."

Today David Taylor, the council's corporate director for people, said: "We have apologised to the schools as they received the wrong letter. Combining the schools would allow pupils from the Ifton Heath area to move through both the primary and secondary stages without any transitions, which has been shown to improve progress.

"If the proposal was agreed, the existing Ifton Heath and Rhyn Park pupils would transfer to the all-through school meaning there would be no less of a need for teachers and support staff."

And today parents, grandparents and children at Stiperstones Primary School, also under threat, were due to form a human chain to spell out "SOS" on a county hillside.

Also today, Maesbury Primary School near Oswestry, recommended for closure, was due to welcome North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson as he arrived on a fact-finding visit.

Shropshire Council wants to shut eight primary schools and one secondary school across the county in a bid to tackle empty classroom spaces and funding issues.