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Sunny Brow wins reprieve

David Edwards
29/ 4/2004

PARENTS fighting to save Middleton's last nursery school were this week celebrating what they describe as a "famous victory" - a stay-of-execution which means that Sunny Brow Nursery School in Archer Park will remain open for at least another year.

The local education authority has confirmed to the Guardian that it will be impossible to close the school this August as originally planned and that it will remain open for at least another school year.

The "reprieve" follows reader support after the Guardian's hard-hitting campaign to save the nursery school, and the inability of members of the Rochdale Schools Organisation Committee to reach a unanimous decision on whether to close the school for economic reasons.

The issue has now been referred to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator, an independent body for a decision - it was the same body that last month stymied Rochdale's plans to close St John's CE Primary School, Thornham.

Ann Tipton, head of the council's early learning section said: "Because it has been referred to adjudication, the time scale was too tight to enable the closure to go ahead as planned this year."

"We looked at the possibility of closure in Christmas if the adjudication was in support of it, but we didn't feel it was fair on parents of new pupils to have the school open for only one term of the year. So, we have decided that, if the adjudication allows, Sunny Brow will close in August 2005."

The news was welcomed by the objectors fighting to save the school.

Former Middleton Township Committee chairman, Henry West, chairman of the school's governing body said: "This is really excellent news. It gives staff and parents the security that the school will remain open for at least another year. That security means that parents will have confidence in enrolling their children for the next full school year."

"Thanks to the stories in the Guardian over the past few weeks enrolment is going well. At the moment there are just 22 pupils at the school, and if we can reach the full capacity of 52 pupils for the next term it could swing the adjudication our way."

He said they were probably about two-thirds of the way to that target already and they hoped the momentum created by the Guardian publicity would be boosted by the stay of execution.

A member of the school's parent support group said it was "a famous victory" but the battle was not yet won and they had to continue vigorously opposing the closure.

The parent of two former pupils at the nursery, campaigner Mrs Debbie Whittle, said she was delighted by the news.

"I would like to congratulate the people who have battled this far," she said. "I hope that parents will continue to support the nursery through the difficult months to come and that it will continue for many years."