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Protest over school merger
HUNDREDS of parents and pupils stepped up their campaign to save their community secondary school with a lunchtime rally and march in Sheffield city centre today.
Protesters vowed to save Wisewood Secondary School after handing over a petition containing more than 2,100 names to the council's cabinet member for children's services Coun Harry Harpham.
They later put their case before a full meeting of the city council, demanding a rethink to plans which would see the merger of Wisewood and Myers Grove schools, with a new secondary to be bulit on the Myers site at Stannington.
Council planners argue a merger is the best option because pupil numbers are set to fall in the north west of the city over the next few years.
Mum Lucy Fairest, who has three children who would be affected by the proposals, said feelings were running as strongly as ever - even though many parents still believed the scheme to be a 'done deal'.
"We think our views are being listened to and that changes are being considered - but if we don't agree with them, we'll fight again," she said.
"We want to keep our local school to serve our local school - and we want it to be run by the community, not some trust from miles away."
Darren Webb, whose eldest child attends Marcliffe Primary in the Wisewood catchment, said pupils from his part of Hillsborough would face a five mile daily round trip through one of the most congested areas of the city.
"Six hundred children will be affected by these proposals and somehow they will have to cross through the centre of Hillsborough at the busiest times of day. It really couldn't be worse," he said.
"We're also very concerned that this whole consultation process is asking us to agree to a new school without us knowing who will own or operate it. That is a major issue in itself."
• See tomorrow's Star for more parents' quotes and reaction.
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Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: East
