Let's see less council-bashing and less pro-Wisewood reporting

ONCE again The Star (Aug 23, What a Result at Axed School) makes it clear where its allegiances lie. Instead of reporting on the success of Sheffield pupils who have achieved GCSE passes and applauding their achievements, the publication of the examination results becomes another opportunity to publish SOCS propaganda.
By The Newsroom
Published 5th Sep 2007, 07:58 BST
Updated 5th Sep 2007, 07:59 BST

Was the headline for the 23rd August 2007 planned on the 25th July 2007 following the Council's decision to approve the merger of Wisewood and Myers Grove schools? Once again quotes have been sought from Mr Mallinson and SOCS without seeking to obtain comment from any other person or organisation.

The continued reporting of Wisewood as a "doomed" school is divisive. The children of Wisewood will have the benefit of a brand new school with access to educational opportunities not previously available in the north west of the city. It is a fantastic opportunity for our children.

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The residents in Wisewood and Stannington are not communities pitched against each other. This is a myth that The Star and SOCS seem happy to perpetuate. We regard our community as comprising the whole S6 area. A community is what its members want it to be. We now need to continue to work together to create a cohesive community for the new school. That cannot be achieved whilst a small section of our community refuses to accept that the due process has been followed and seeks to mount a legal challenge. It is this small section that causes unrest and uncertainty.

There have been links between both Wisewood and Myers Grove schools for a while. It should not be overlooked that a number of parents who live within the catchment area for Wisewood choose to send their children to Myers Grove. Further, Wisewood school's pupil roll has in recent years been propped up by the transfer of a local primary school that traditionally fed into Myers Grove. This means that currently Wisewood has 3 feeder schools whilst Myers Grove only has 2. This illustrates the geographical proximity between the schools. (On the issue of Wisewood's pupil roll, certain parents living on the Wadsley Park Village development have claimed that they bought into the area on the understanding that their children would be attending Bradfield school. It is believed that the developers were required to contribute to Bradfield schools budget due to the proposed increase in the number of pupils on its roll that the development would cause. However, it is alleged that this funding was not allocated to Bradfield school but was diverted to Wisewood, along with the pupils).

Council Leader Jan Wilson has invited all groups interested in the merger to attend a discussion meeting. I propose to attend and look forward to meeting parents of those children who are presently at or will be attending Wisewood until the new school comes into being,

In the meantime I hope to see less council bashing and less pro-Wisewood school reporting by The Star when it next covers the merger issue. There is a large body of public support for the merger which time and time again is not reported in The Star. Where is the balanced and objective reporting readers should be entitled to receive? We now need to move forward and ensure that we create the best possible school for our children.

Any such moves will be hindered by the negative press this issue always attracts when reported on in The Star.

Tracy Rodgers, Stannington

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