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Here is today's Mancunian Way:
By BETH ABBIT - Wed July 13, 2022
Afternoon,
When Newall Green High School closed down last year, families were devastated. Despite a poor Ofsted record, many pupils were happy there and parents with older children already attending had hoped to send younger children there too.
So it will be welcome news that the school is due to reopen, albeit in a different guise, next year. But with pupils now settled at other schools, has the good news come too late?
We’ll be discussing that story, as well as the challenge to bus reforms and an odd museum piece, in today’s newsletter.
A new school - but has it come too late?
It came as a shock to many when Newall Green High School closed. Pupils were forced to start afresh at different schools - often away from their friends and miles away from home. Meanwhile teachers, many of whom had worked at the Wythenshawe school for years, lost jobs they loved. Now - less than a year after the last pupils left - it’s been announced that a new school will open on the site of the former school in September 2023.
Reporter Sophie Halle-Richards worked on the story back in January 2020, when then-Education Secretary Gavin Williamson agreed to close the school. She’s been speaking to families about the latest announcement. “Most parents and students were extremely worried about what the closure would mean for their education as they saw a school move during their secondary education as very disruptive,” she says.
“Many of the staff who worked there had been at the school for decades and really felt like it was their home. Many parents and local figures who opposed the closure questioned why the Department for Education decided to close the school rather than reinvest to help improve its Ofsted rating.”
Although the latest announcement of a replacement has been welcomed, Sophie says many people are angry that the school will reopen less than two years after its original closure. “Many students have been displaced to schools far away from where they live including Moss Side,” she says.
“Staff who used to work at the school feel very upset and say they have suffered financial hardship after being made redundant. There is still a question mark over whether they'll get their old jobs back - if they still want them.”
One mum who spoke to Sophie has highlighted the frustrations held by many. “I am really frustrated with the school closing as now there isn't enough spaces for children,” she says.
“My daughter massively struggles with anxiety and she has been sent to a school in Moss Side when we are in Wythenshawe, which she will not be attending. So not only will she miss out on starting high school in September, this has also ruined her last few months in primary school as she is constantly worrying about not being able to attend or get excited and talk about high school.
“She missed out on transition day which would have given her an idea about high school, now they are re-opening but not until next year. What about the children who are going to suffer this year?”
The controversial decision to close the school - then run by Prospere Learning Trust - came after a 'significant fall' in pupil numbers. Manchester City Council drew up investment plans and made a final plea to government. But after a month-long 'listening period' the decision was made. Council bosses said it was 'completely unacceptable’ Mr Williamson had not responded to last ditch proposals to save Newall Green.
Coun Garry Bridges, executive member for children and schools, said it could have been avoided. "It cannot be right that central government ministers and officials can close a school despite the objection of the local authority and the strong opposition of the local community,” he said at the time.
Wythenshawe MP, Mike Kane, also fought against the closure. “Transition to high school should be a time of excitement of pupils and parents but too many residents this year have had to contact me about their school allocation,” he says. “I know the closure of Newall Green did not help this situation, meaning children were allocated schools out of the area.”
The new co-educational free school, Dixons Newall Green, promises to be a ‘state-of-the-art space for learning’. It will be run by Dixons Academies Trust to serve the community around Newall Green and Wythenshawe, opening initially for 140 Year 7 pupils, growing year-on-year.
Dixons - which already runs Brooklands Academy in Wythenshawe - say they work in ‘parts of the north where young lives are adversely affected by social and educational disadvantage’. “The trust’s mission is to challenge this disadvantage and give every child, regardless of background, the opportunity to fulfil their academic potential,” they say.
Weather, etc.
- Thursday: Sunny intervals changing to cloudy by late morning. 19C.
- Pollen count: Very high.
- Roads closed: Delph New Road, Dobcross, in both directions for roadworks between Wall Hill Road and Oldham Road until August 5. A57 Eccles New Road westbound closed for gas main work from Canterbury Gardens to Gilda Brook Road until July 8.
- Today's Manc trivia question: Which historic Cheshire estate hosts the North West's annual Royal Horticultural Society flower show?
Answer at the bottom of the newsletter
Levelling up ‘dead in the water’?
Andy Burnham has again insisted that there must be a general election if the Conservatives renege on a promise to level up the North. The mayor last week told The Mancunian Way that sacked Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove was ‘the one minister who was doing his job properly’ and should be reinstated.
Speaking today, he said the country is dealing with the cost of living crisis and an NHS crisis with ambulance services now on black alert. "What are these leadership candidates saying about those things?" he said during a Sky News interview.
Mr Burnham slammed the Conservative leadership candidates for waging a 'culture war', saying they should instead start improving people's lives.
"To me this feels like a party that wants to go into opposition. It feels as though it's in its comfort zone. Playing to the culture war issues but not actually addressing the things that are affecting people up and down the country who are worrying about their finances, about the position of the NHS."
Mr Burnham said looking at the policies of each candidate, it appears 'levelling up will be dead in the water'.
"If that's where we end up at the end of this leadership election, there has to be a general election. Because that is a major change from the manifesto on which all of these people were elected," he said.
A museum piece
If you're a fan of the mayor - or just a massive politics nerd - you can now view his ‘King of the North’ jacket at the People’s History Museum.
Mr Burnham wore the navy worker’s jacket during his speech outside the Bridgewater Hall during the pandemic, when he told the government Greater Manchester would not accept any more Covid restrictions.
As The Guardian reports, the jacket will be displayed among treasures such as Michael Foot’s donkey jacket and truncheons used during the Peterloo massacre.
Museum staff are said to be pleased Mr Burnham didn't donate his North Face cagoule instead, as it would degrade faster. The mayor told the paper he had planned to wear it but was dissuaded by his wife who said people will think 'you’re sponsored by North Face'.
On the buses
A Court of Appeal hearing into Andy Burnham's bus reforms started yesterday. A judge previously ruled that the mayor's decision to bring buses back under public control was lawful - but operator Rotala is appealing the ruling.
Local democracy reporter Joseph Timan has been listening in to the hearing. He reports that the case has been 'far more punchy' than expected, with Rotala's legal representative grilled by judges.
Rotala is appealing two points from the judicial review ruling on two 'very technical' issues - which you can read about here. They say a 'fresh audit' should have been carried out in light of the coronavirus crisis and the uncertainty it created in the bus sector.
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority says it did seek a review from the same independent auditors who audited the original assessment and they found that the approach taken was ‘appropriate’ and of ‘sufficient quality’. A judgement could be handed down by the end of the month.
Manchester headlines
Fined: Landlords have been fined thousands as part of a crackdown on unsafe housing in Manchester after mould, cold and fire hazards were found. A five-year landlord licensing scheme in Crumpsall found nearly a fifth of the 177 properties inspected had 'serious hazards'. A total of 31 private rented properties had 'serious issues' relating to fire safety, damp, mould and excessive cold, according to Manchester Council. Six civil penalty notices were issued to landlords resulting in £36,050 in fines. The council hopes to introduce eight similar schemes in parts of Moss Side, Levenshulme, Longsight, Cheetham and Rusholme. More here.
Smart motorways: The new smart motorway on the M56 near Manchester Airport was at the centre of House of Lords debate. Work on new smart motorways has been paused but work already underway, including on the M56 and M6, will continue. Lib Dem Baroness Jennifer Randerson asked for clarification on the spacing of emergency areas. “I am surprised that the government are not taking the opportunity to build these two new sections of smart motorway up to the full safety standards from the start. Surely it will be cheaper and less disruptive to traffic to do the job properly and maximise safety from the start.”
NHS pressures: The North West Ambulance Service is currently at the highest alert level four - but health minister Maria Caulfied has dismissed concerns over the impact of the heatwave on NHS services. She told the Commons ‘one of the factors affecting ambulance delays is the bed occupancy issue’ and said there is no ‘magical way of avoiding such pressures’. More here.
Albert Square
As the refurbishment of Manchester Town Hall continues, it's been a while since we've seen Albert Square in all its glory. Tide yourself over with this image from the archives of the resplendent city centre plaza pictured from above, back in 1968.
Worth a read
A sunny day in Bolton town centre was overshadowed by the sight of boarded up shops for reporter Sophie Halle-Richards. She’s been speaking to people in the town about the rapid decline of the high street.
Shoppers say they are being forced to travel to Manchester or the Trafford Centre to get what they need, with some abandoning shops altogether and buying online.
"In short, it's not good enough here," says Sue Taylor, who often uses the train for a 30-mile round trip to the Arndale. "We have a real shortage of ladies shops and now that Debenhams and C&A have gone there isn't anything. I have to go into Manchester on the train which is a big day out for me."
That's all for today
Thanks for joining me, the next edition of the Mancunian Way will be with you around the same time tomorrow. If you have any stories you would like us to feature or look into, please contact me at beth.abbit@menmedia.co.uk
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The answer to today’s trivia question, which historic Cheshire estate hosts the North West's annual Royal Horticultural Society flower show, is Tatton Park.
