Update: People power saves Addington High and Westwood from axe

By IAN AUSTEN

Addington High and Westwood Langage College have dramatically been saved from closure.

The two schools were among four lined up for the axe by the council.

But this morning the council has announced a remarkable U-turn.

The other two schools which were set to close, Selsdon High and Haling Manor, will still be replaced with academies.

Parents and teachers in New Addington had mounted a determined campaign to keep Addington High open and will be jubilant at the news.

Meanwhile mums and dads at Westwood, an all girls school in Upper Norwood, had not been happy with the idea of it being replaced with a mixed sex school.

The major changes from the original plans follows a four-month public consultation and shows the council bowing to public pressure for changes, particularly in New Addington.

Originally Addington and Selsdon were to close and be replaced by a split site academy.

Westwood and Haling Manor, in South Croydon, were also to shut and be replaced by a new academy in the north of the borough.

The plan now is for Addington and Westwood to become London Challenge Trust schools, which means they will still be funded by the council but will have more autonomy.

Every secondary school in the borough will still be affected by changes which will see £350 million invested in them over the next three years.

The proposals also involve rebuilding and refurbishing Archbishop Tenison's, in East Croydon, and Norbury Manor Business School, in Thornton Heath.

Rebuilding is also planned for Beckmead special school, in Shirley.

As proposed in the original plan Ashburton Community School will become an academy and consultation will take place next year on whether Archbishop Lanfranc would also benefit from academy status.

The new programme will go before the council's cabinet on Thursday and if approved there will be a further period of six weeks statutory public consultation.

Maria Gatland, cabinet member for children's services, said: "Our blueprint for the future of education in Croydon has been developed using feedback from the school community.

"We have listened to parents, teachers, governors and pupils, and their views have helped our original plans to evolve and improve.

"When the process of transformation is complete, Croydon's schools will be as good as the best in the country - and will allow us to provide all learners with a world class education service.

"We have the highest aspirations for our children and young people."

While news that Addington High and Westwood are to remain open will undoubtedly be welcomed, the fact the council is still proposing opening academies will face opposition from teachers' unions.

Tony Newman, the leader of the council's Labour opposition, said: "This U-turn is a victory for pupil power.

"We have always put the educational needs of pupils first and this must be good news.

"However, capitulation by Croydon's Tories is long overdue and who knows what long term damage has already been done."

*For an in depth analysis of the new proposals see next Friday's Advertiser.