This merger, and building of a £25m new education facility, offered a once in two generation opportunity to provide first class learning opportunities for students The rejection of this proposal is a betrayal of the young people of North West Sheffield. BSF have already said that they will not fund new buildings for two shrinking schools in such close proximity, leaving the students at MGS and Wisewood labouring on in 40 year old buildings.
Coun Scriven talked of removing the sword of Damacles from above the heads of Wisewood and Myers Grove. This Liberal Democrat driven motion has, instead, moved that sword a lot closer to the throats of Myers Grove and Wisewood Schools.
The new Liberal Democrat councillor for Hillsborough talked about letting the voice of the electorate be heard. Who represented the MGS electorate? Certainly not the Liberal Democrat councillors who have not consulted the school.
How many of the 42 councillors who voted for yesterday's motion attended the consultation meetings or responses? Had they attended they would have noted that the tone of the meetings changed away from anger, initially, towards acceptance that merger was the only viable option.Later meetings revolved around questions of governance and curriculum. None of this was reflected in yesterday's debate.
Coun Scriven said he wished to provide 'direction for local communities'. He and his supporters feel that the best way to do this is to ignore the professional judgement of both headteachers and a joint statement of the two governing bodies.
Incidentally, Jan Wilson said the voice of MGS had been heard less during this process, yet hundreds of my students returned the questionnaire. The vast majority of these students thought the building of a new school was a good idea. Are we really saying that democracy in Sheffield is about he who shouts loudest?
This was a glorious day for Machiavellian politicking and a tragedy for this and future generations of young people in NW Sheffield.
G Simmons, Assistant Headteacher, Myers Grove School

AS a member of the Wisewood campaign group, SOCS and with children at Wisewood Primary School, I am disappointed at the way parents of Wisewood children have been portrayed.
The council says there will be no money for refurbishment and that we have let our own children down.
The BSF money is available for new builds as well as refurbishments and the council can apply for money to refurbish both secondary schools. This should have been pointed out.
The council are trying to put us in a bad light as they are the ones who have ended up with egg on their faces!
Lucy Fairest

THE decision was stated to have 'cost' £20m - this is incorrect, the money is still in a pot waiting to be spent. Under the Government's Building Schools for the Future programme, money is available to rebuild or refurbish every secondary school in the country.
The education department has been allocated a piece of this money and decided they wanted to spend £20m-plus of it on a new school on the Myers Grove site. The public was 'consulted', at substantial cost, on this one option and an overwhelming majority rejected it and instead asked for the money to be invested in a combination of retaining and improving/rebuilding the current schools instead.
Officials said the government would not allow this and left it at that. No evidence was produced and the education department, supported by Labour councillors, decided to press ahead with their plans. Why bother 'consulting' opinions if you are going to ignore what people want?
Given that in the league tables for 2006, Sheffield's secondary schools position had fallen for at least the third year running to 140th out of 150 local authorities, surely the education department should concentrate on educating Sheffield's children to a decent standard?
Robert Palmer, Studfield Hill, Wisewood

ONE Labour councillor said 'every primary school in Sheffield will now have to subsidise Wisewood and Myers'. I believe the councillor's sole intent was to try and divide parents and communities. A more cynical person may feel by proposing changes to the catchment area of Bradfield School while the merger of the schools being pursued was also planned to get the different communities and parents fighting with each other while Labour councillors once again tried to railroad their policies through.
Maybe it is time to be fair with one another and that should mean a fair division of spend across the entire city.
Mark Whitehouse, Leaton Close, Loxley

GOOD schools aren't made overnight with a quick fix of £20m and a shiny glass and concrete structure. A good school is made over years by the people in it. All these exist in Wisewood and were recognised by Ofsted who described it as a successful school.
Small secondary schools can work, as Wisewood has proved. There are problems with the school structure, it needs refurbishment as do others in the city. It's a shocking state of affairs in education funding if primary schools have to subsidise small secondaries. It's time for the council to recognise it's a mistake to close successful and popular schools. The end of the merger plan is an opportunity to have a serious consultation about education in the city without dividing communities.
John Ross, Dykes Hall Road, Hillsborough

TO say the decision will 'cost £20 million' is absurd. The decision has saved the taxpayer £20 million.
Money is desperately needed to rebuild Myers Grove and Wisewood. This should not cost as much as £20 million. The Government has said it will rebuild every secondary school in the country. If the Government refuses, then the blame lies entirely with them, not with the councillors.'.
For months Council officers have been saying that if Wisewood stays open, its numbers will fall, funds will dry up, and the school will "wither on the vine". Now they tell us that funds will not dry up.
Wisewood will not need an extra penny until at least September 2008 because, contrary to the council's projections, which have proved wrong for two years running, Wisewood is still full up. Then, if the council's worst predictions come true Wisewood will be short of just two children per class for a very few years before numbers start picking up again. The council also had before it a report proposing that Bradfield School's catchment area should not be changed. It was passed on the nod. The report didn't mention that bussing children to Bradfield costs hundred of thousands of pounds a year. Of course not, because everybody knows the money can easily be found within the city's budget. But it is similar to the amount needed to fund Wisewood through its lean years (if they happen). So what's all the fuss about?
Nigel Wright

THIS was always about more than the schools, this was also about choice and the well being of an entire community. It's about the people, teachers and children.There is more to a school than bricks and shiny new glass. I just hope the damage that has been done in the last few months is repairable.
Chris Batchelor, Sheffield.

NOW that the merger to close both Myers and Wisewood schools has been scrapped, I think it is clear that if Labour had listened to parents they would not have lost votes in the local elections. The Lib Dems backed the Save Our School campaign, listening to what the parents and teachers wanted.
Mr D Clapham, Studfield Rd, Sheffield