THE biggest shake up of education ever in North Kirklees was announced on September 9, 2008.
But the £200m plans, from Kirklees council, have met with huge opposition from parents, pupils, school staff and councillors.
The plans would see:
- Castle Hall School close and merge with the Mirfield Free Grammar school
- Westborough and Birkdale High Schools in Dewsbury to be replaced with a new academy on the Westborough site
- Earlsheaton Technology College expanded
- Thornhill Community Science College expanded
- St John Fisher Catholic High School's sixth form close
- One sixth form for the whole of North Kirklees
Plans for Castle Hall would see the school close by August 2013 but the building would be used by Mirfield Free Grammar for a year until extensions to MFG were completed.
MFG would become one of two sites hosting a new North Kirklees Sixth Form, with Heckmondwike Grammar School.
The sixth form would grow from 270 to 500 places.
The rest of the school would also expand, taking in an extra 410 pupils.
After the plans were announced, Castle Hall school headteacher Andy Pugh said: "We are disappointed but I would like to stress it is very early days and they are only proposals."
MFG principal Lorraine Barker and governors said in a joint statement they were considering the proposals.
But after consulting with parents, Mrs Barker and head governor Jennifer Ryan later said: "The principal and governors have major concerns with these proposals."
First published September 12, 2008See the stories listed to the right of this article for the latest. 