Oswestry pupils to put case for school scheme

Pupils at St Martins' Rhyn Park School, near Oswestry, are opening their classrooms up to protesters against plans to merge their secondary school with the village primary school.

They have been so upset by criticism of an all-through-school for St Martins that they have persuaded teachers to allow them to run an open evening on May 16 when they say they will talk to visitors to allay fears about a school for children aged three to 16.

This week plans to create an all-through school at St Martins were put on hold by education bosses so that more talks can go ahead.

The plan would see Ifton Heath Primary School shut and relocate to the Rhyn Park site as part of a major reorganisation of education in the county.

But Shirehall bosses admitted the scheme still needed more work before any final decision could be taken and deferred the plans to a meeting on July 20.

Councillors warned that without change the future of Rhyn Park school was uncertain.

The plan has split the village with many parents of infant and junior school teachers saying they want to keep the primary school at Ifton Heath.

But pupils at Rhyn Park, Lauren Haughton and Lauren Jones, 15, said an all-through school would benefit the whole community and urged anyone worried to go along to the open evening.

They said many fears would be allayed by staggering break and lunchtimes for the different age ranges.

"The open evening is an invitation to other students and parents to chat about what it is like at Rhyn Park," they said.

The evening, which will start at 6pm, will begin with a presentation and then be followed by smaller around the table talks with the year 10 pupils.

Lauren Haughton said: "This is our school and we are proud of it and of its success. The younger children could share in that success and having younger children here would benefit the older students and encourage more responsibility."

The year 10 pupils have already had discussions on how an all-through-school could work and have suggested a "buddy" mentoring scheme, where older students are teamed up to help a group of younger pupils.

By Sue Austin