£35m cost of replacing Shrewsbury Wakeman School

EDUCATION CHIEFS will have to spend £35m on building a new school in Shrewsbury within the next 10 years if they go ahead with cost-cutting plans to close the town's Wakeman school, a governor claimed today.

Andy Rayment, chairman of governors at the only secondary of nine proposed for closure by Shropshire Council, has urged bosses to abandon plans.

He today claimed it was "nonsensical" to close the town centre school in Abbey Foregate as the population of the town was expected to grow significantly over the next decade due to its status as a government "growth point".

Mr Rayment warned that if the Wakeman did close, as proposed, in 2013, secondary schools in Shrewsbury could reach their capacity within nine years.

He claimed this could lead to parents struggling to get their youngsters into the school of their choice, or even within their own catchment area.

Mr Rayment said: "There is a general acknowledgement that there will come a need to build a secondary school on the western side of the town to meet planned growth of the town, which is estimated will cost in the region of £30m-£35m.

"A few years ago the council was quoted about £25m to build a new school under the Schools for the Future and so if you look at that in 2020 that figure could easily have risen to £35m.

"It seems nonsensical to close the Wakeman which has some of the best facilities in the county."

Mr Rayment's claims come as Shrewsbury Town Council is due to formulate an official response at a full council meeting on Monday night to closing Wakeman.

David Taylor and Councillor Aggie Caesar-Homden had been invited to attend but will not be doing so.

The town council has also submitted a list of questions and a reply is expected ahead of Monday's meeting.

Mr Taylor said: "I have spoken to the town council to explain that we will be answering as many of the questions as possible for them to discuss at their meeting on Monday.

"We have agreed not to attend any separate meetings outside the consultation events so we can be fair and consistent to all schools involved in the proposals."

By Russell Roberts