Went to a meeting at my daughter's school last night regarding the POSSIBLE closure of Hart and Elwick Schools.

They are looking at the viability of building a school on Bishop Cuthbert, which, if they decide to give it a certain capacity, will mean that the two village schools will close

DESPITE

Hart & Elwick being the top performing schools in terms of pupil performance and having fewer spare places than the others involved in the possible rejig.

Hart being the only school not identified as needing urgent repairs to its buildings.

Jesmond Road, Throston and Clavering Schools all needing repair work and a massive improvement in performance, as well as all three having excess places.

Some excellent points were raised last night, and I'm afraid the council and education department come out of it smelling of shite.

It was noted that the price of land in the two villages was significantly higher than on other school sites, hence the worry that the land is earmarked for development. The bloke from the council couldn't confirm or deny this.

One of the parents had hold of a published document from the Labour group saying that a majority of their members favoured shutting the two village schools (class war anyone ?). The council spokesman told us that the education committe, who have the final say, are not just composed of Labour members. Maybe not, said the crowd, but they hold the majority. YET these are supposedly just proposals for the future of schools in Hartlepool !!!!

One old gadgie stood up and said that the one thing that he's learnt from 39 years working for the borough council is NEVER TO TRUST THEM. That got the biggest laugh of the night.

They also said that the Heads of all the primary schools were represented in the process by a cross section of Head teachers - yet when the council spokesman named them, they were all from schools not threatened with closure, or from one of the schools that by the councils own stats is decrepit, failing and massively undersubscribed.

I came away with the sinking feeling that the way forward for school in Hartlepool depends less on performance, suitability, excess places and condition of schools and more on the price of land and how our councillors view village schools and village life in general.

I have to point out I have no axe to grind with Jesmond Road or any other school, but there are darker forces at work behind the scenes in this and it will eventually affect anyone with kids in Hartlepool.

Perhaps our MP could help get his constituents the resolution we are asking for ?

So thats the hospitals, the buses and now the schools.

Can the last one out of Hartlepool turn the lights off please. For Hartlepool 2015 look at Horden 2008.

Look at the bigger picture. The closure of some schools will bring in £50million for the education of children in Hartlepool as a whole.

New schools, new facilities.

What's the problem?

All kids should be taught at home by their parents.

Responsbile parents will do the job properly, irresponsible ones won't care.

The situation will be as it is now, and we save millions of pounds in waste on teachers and the upkeep of buildings.

Why do politicians assume building new schools will make everything better...? If a school works, don't let the politicians anywhere near it. If a school performs poorly it's either down to the teaching staff or the catchment area and state of the art schools will make no difference to that, it just means they'll be producing air conditioned crap results.
Mind you, what a cack handed way to reorganise anything, threaten just about every school with liquidation regardless of results, just so the politicians can cut the opening ribbon on their educational legacy.... a shiney new school.

Sometimes referred to as "robbing Peter to pay Paul".

Lets be honest, waving that sort of money in front of politicains to spend on their 'watch' will result in the political equvalent of an immediate erection.

In terms of non private schools, the worst secondary school in Nottingham is called 'Djanogoly' I kid you not! its a glass and stainless steel monstrosity which cost millions. One of these 'city technology colleges'

The best is Bluecoat in Wollaton. The building is a typical 60's structure, the ones that were designed to keep roof felters in work forever.

I concur with my honourable friend, the building does not make the school.

i agree, so why even consider closing two schools in elwick and hart that are in good condition, achieve excellent results and don't have too many spare places, in order to build a new super school.

especially when you consider that there are two relatively poorer schools (in terms of results and spare capacity) a lot closer to the proposed site on bishop cuthbert, namely throston and clavering.

can't be any hidden agenda with our council surely ? can there ?

I went to west view me, didn't do me any harm

It gives me one, my oath!

Travel! The kids have to get a bus or car to school instead of walking and being part of their community.

Ah you took the words out of my mouth there!

Makes them fitter. The waifs and strays can be picked off by passing lorry drivers, pervs, etc.

You're not taking this seriously

Oiy!

You ask the gentlemen of a certain age on here if they used to wish Alexander Bastedo would stop and pick them up as they walked home from school.

Ask the older gents, Snowy and Gremlin, if they wished it was Mae West instead.

Mae West.... you only found out cos you were two timing with her nephew ..... Fred

Fred was a good kisser.

Excellent for the environment, more Chelsea tractors on the overcrowded roads of Hartlepool.
Forward thinking council, i think not. Reducing carbon footprints, i'd like to take my carbon foot and stick it against their arses

issue also exists that throston and or claveriung school could close as well.....

er, no it doesn't. neither of those closing is an option. there's only the two village schools under threat of total closure.

jesmond road is safe whatever happens. nowt to do with their head sitting on the education committe advisory panel like

actually throston staff believe they are under threat of closure

and you can see why

a large school field sold for development

the only options for throston are either no change and an improvement to buildings, or changes in size (up or down) and improvement to buildings.

if any of the schools do close, I'll bet the speed humps stay in the road!!!!!

Some of the original proposals here were absolutely bizarre - Catholic Church schools & C of E Church schools merging was the one that got me (St Aidans & St Cuthberts)

Tend to agree the HArt Elwick schools thing is political, why keep two underperforming schools that need loads spending on them anyway & close two good village schools? It stinks really

Schools don't seem to have helped many on here ...

.....unlike yours, which was 'special'

there's a meeting similar to yours soon i am sure as we have some fancy pack in the post

i'll be going and reporting back

Like the hospital, there'll be consultataions, discussions, focus groups views, studies, exhibitions, promises...and then they'll do what they were gonna do anyway, but they like it if they can get you on board.