850 sign save our sixth form petition

A PETITION supporting the campaign to save the sixth form at Culcheth High School was signed by 850 people.
It was organised by councillors Matt Smith and Chris Vobe and Warrington North MP Helen Jones and handed in at Warrington Town Hall by Cllr Vobe.
The campaign opposed the decision by the school’s governing body to close post-16 provision at Culcheth.
It was backed by borough councillors from neighbouring Hollins Green and Rixton, seven members of Culcheth and Glazebury Parish Council, all six members of Croft Parish Council, and two members of neighbouring Winwick Parish Council, along with the 850 residents from the affected villages.
Cllr Vobe presented the petition and a package of objection letters to the borough council’s director families and wellbeing Kath O’Dwyer.
He said: “Culcheth Sixth Form is a valued provider of post-16 education in north Warrington.
“The announcement by the governing body that they had entered into consultation on closure was met by shock from representatives of all political parties and the community as a whole. It is inconceivable to us that a school like Culcheth High, which achieved the best GCSE results in the borough last year, has failed in such a dramatic fashion to attract those students to its sixth form. This is out of keeping with other
schools in the town, and elsewhere.”
Cllr Smith said: “We were delighted to be able to present such a strong petition to the Town Hall – 850 individual people, from concerned parents, to existing students and elected representatives, have voiced their concerns and weighed in behind our campaign.
“It is important for areas like Culcheth and nearby Rixton to maintain
post-16 provision, and that is why I have been pleased to take the lead on this campaign. We hope that the governing body will take note of the strength of local concern, read each of these objections carefully, and consider other options before pushing forward their closure plans.”
The councillors added they were pleased to have been able to gather cross-party support for their campaign from Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Independent councillors.
Borough councillor Bill Brinksman led the opposition in Rixton on behalf of residents there.
He said losing post-16 provision at Culcheth would be another blow to education provision in the area he represents, following the closure of Woolston High School some years ago.
Pictured: Cllr Chris Vobe presents the petition to executive director Kath O’Dwyer.