AN open letter to the leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Clifford Morris: We, the undersigned, representing hundreds of years working in education in Bolton as teachers, headteachers, governors and parents, call upon you to halt the proposals to turn the Withins and Hayward Schools into academies.

We were never persuaded of the case to bring private enterprise into education. That “case” seems best consigned to the dustbin of history now, as the taxpayer pays out countless billions to bail out banks. When problems occur we turn to the public sector — the government or the council. Let us keep our schools in the public sector, where we can exercise control in collaboration with school staff. To hand control to business is to invite chaos. Business is controlled by the market, and we are currently witnessing what disasters the market can bring.

The proposal to involve the Church of England in the Withins School runs contrary to Bolton’s “Valuing Diversity“ Agenda. The impetus for a faith school is not coming from the local community and staff in the school, but is being imposed by the sponsors. Schools should remain equally acceptable to those of any religion and none. Parents in the Withins area, who don’t want a faith-based education for their children, may be forced to look to Elton School in Bury as the most realistic choice.

Further, the proposed Hayward Academy is seen by many as a Muslim faith school in all but name. Children who don’t want to be educated in a faith school may again have to look outside Bolton in some cases. But more important still is the threat to community cohesion posed by these developments at Withins and Hayward.

We believe educating children together is vital for a harmonious society. Bolton has managed to make some progress in including all minority communities over the past few decades, compared with other northern towns. ‘The Bolton Family’ is more than just a slogan. The current academy proposals threaten to undermine and destroy these gains, by encouraging segregation and emphasising difference, rather than a shared future in a multi-cultural society.

If Bolton Council goes ahead with the academy proposals at Withins and Hayward, we fear that they will bequeath to Bolton’s next generation of children, parents and teachers a legacy as toxic as the debt the banks have left the country’s taxpayers.

We urge you, at this 11th hour, to recognise the difficulties we are drawing to your attention and encourage your colleagues to vote down the academy proposals. In the meantime we ask you to meet us, in a public forum of your choosing, to respond to our concerns.

Mike Chapman (Bolton headteacher, retired); Mike Ellin (Bolton headteacher and senior education officer, retired); Brian Northey (Withins School governor); Anne Dixon (senior teacher and governor, Hayward School, retired); Phil Roberts (teacher and governor, Withins School); Tom Hanley (teacher, Hayward and Withins Schools and NUT secretary, retired); Neil Duffield (chair of governors, Withins School, retired); Sylvia Calderbank (special needs teacher, Hayward School, retired); Norman Teasdale (teacher, Withins and Hayward Schools, retired); Steve Chadwick (senior teacher, Withins School, retired); Geoff Kenyon (special educational needs coordinator, Withins School, retired); Eileen Murphy (parent governor, Withins School, retired); Mike Greenhalgh (teacher and NUT president, retired); as well as many serving teachers who have taken strike action at Withins and Hayward Schools and many other teachers across Bolton