The Wythenshawe Reporter is backing a campaign by parents, students and councillors to save Newall Green High School, earmarked for closure by the Government.

Parents were told this week that the Department for Education will close the school because of falling numbers.

A petition to save the school has been launched and students staged a protest calling on the decision to be reversed.

And today, Manchester City Council’s executive committee pledged to fight the DfE’s decision.

The council’s deputy leader and Wythenshawe councillor, Sue Murphy tweeted: “We need to oppose the closure. Potentially devastating for young people in school there.”

Baguley councillor,  Tracey Rawlins led the calls for the council to fight the closure.

Just raised with the Council Executive the shocking news that Newall Green High School is being prepared for closure. Executive agreed to oppose this. Our children are so much more than a balance sheet.https://t.co/Rj9IIgFTpa

— Tracey Rawlins (@CllrTR) January 15, 2020

So important. We need to oppose the closure. Potentially devastating for young people in school there.

— Sue Murphy (@smurph99) January 15, 2020

Dawn Fairweather, who started the petition which has already attracted nearly 400 signatures, says the closure will impact on other schools in Wythenshawe, by increasing class sizes and piling more pressure on teachers.

She said: “This is not acceptable for children in the Wythenshawe area who through no fault of their own may not get the education they rightfully deserve which could affect their future employment prospects.

“This could also mean that children have to travel further to and from school and cost more money that some parents do not have.Please sign this petition to stop the closure of this school.

“The education minister and Prime minister need to know that the people in Wythenshawe will do their upmost to stop the closure of this school.”

Sign the petition here.

Newall Green School was put in special measures following an inspection by the schools watchdog, OFSTED.

But following the school’s latest monitoring visit in November last year, inspectors said there had been improvements in their report.

Inspector, David Selby said: “Leaders and managers are taking effective action towards the removal of special measures.”

The report summarised the strengths in the school’s approaches to securing improvement as:

• Leaders have continued to develop the wider opportunities that the school offers
  to pupils. These opportunities often involve local businesses.
• Leaders have continued their careful focus on the urgent priorities identified at
  the previous inspection. However, they have now started to widen their view and
  to identify and enhance aspects of the school that were already working well.
• Leaders are seeking ways for pupils to be more involved in their school. Leaders
  intend to find out more about what pupils think of the school. Staff have just
  introduced a prefect system and they intend that a pupil council will soon be reestablished.
• The reducing role of the executive principal in supporting other leaders has
  allowed leaders within the school to become increasingly more confident and self reliant.

And the weakness was summarised as:

• Despite the improvement in the school and the increasing number of things that
  pupils can be proud of, some pupils lack pride in what the school offers them and
  is achieving.