COUNCIL chiefs at Warrington are to start a formal consultation process on plans to re-build two special schools on the site of the doomed Woolston High School.
Members of the executive board agreed to take swift action to try and secure funding under the government’s 
Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme – even though there are uncertainties over the future of the programme.
The scheme would involve co-locating Fox Wood Special School and Green Lane Special School on the Woolston site after the high school closes in 2012.
Coun Sheila Woodyatt, (pictured) executive member for education and young people, said the scheme presented a wonderful opportunity for Warrington.
Fox Wood and Green Lane were both wonderful schools but the buildings were not fit for purpose.
She stressed the scheme did not involve an amalgamation of the schools.
“They cater for very different children with different needs,” she said
The board was told informal consultation had already taken place. Both schools supported the idea of co-location and Fox Wood’s first choice for a site was Woolston.
Green Lane governors would prefer to stay on the existing site, but their second choice was Woolston. Green Lane parent preferred the Woolston site, however.
There could be scope for sharing some facilities, such as kitchens.
It was unlikely the new schools could be ready before 2014-2015.
Council leader Ian Marks acknowledged there was uncertainty over the future of BSF funding.
But all the advise the council was getting from government officials was that they should continue on the assumption the money would still be available.
Plan for new schools on Woolston site
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
5 Comments
If Councillor Sheila Woodyatt put in as much effort in to save Woolston High School as she does to save anything in Lymm or Oughtrington, Woolston would still have a high school to be proud of!
If Councillor Sheila Woodyatt did not keep on appealing against the planners decisions and stopped wasting the Councils money on costly lengthy appeals on land and housing applications within the Lymm/ Oughtrington area, I am sure there would be enough monies to finance other worthwhile projects in the borough, there is more to Warrington than just Lymm or Oughtrington.
Agreed lauren….. I wonder if cllr Woodyatt would think that the ” scheme presented a wonderful opportunity for Warrington” if it were to be built on spare land in Lymm
Why can’t we have a new high school!!!!
Cos the Woolston School land is needed to enable the release of the other two pieces of council owned land for a ‘sale’ or for ‘other’ purposes ….. maybe.. alegidely !?! I still wonder to this day wether Cllr Woodyatt ever got her head round the fact the falling birth rate in Warrington WAS NOT, as she suggested, due to a lack of qualified midwives after all. Still makes me laugh everytime I think of it 🙂
What age is retirement 🙂
Do those kids really need this disruption? Geen lane lane school is a wonderful school with the happiest atmosphere I have ever seen. When things are so good why can’t they leave them alone? Sheila Woodyatt’s similar ‘exciting’ ideas led to the demolition of Stockton Heath Community primary which she also regarded as a building ‘not fit for purpose’. This resulted in the replacement of a school of which the community was proud with thrown up tin pot tack wherein the children now get an education which is ‘not fit for purpose’.