AS I have predicted, the Schools Organisation Committee, sitting at Bury Town Hall, used the soft option and rubber-stamped the decision of Bury Executive Education Committee recommendation to close Affetside Primary School, despite the Secretary of State for Education, past and present, making it clear that village schools should not be closed.
The Bury Director of Education presented the committee with a camouflage of statistics that even the committee could not comprehend and, worse, he suggested that, if Affetside remained open, there would be a financial crisis in Bury schools.
The whole question of the Schools Organisation Committee, and its unqualified and undemocratic powers to make vital decisions affecting schools, children and parents, needs to be challenged.
Records now show that, since this School Committee was ill-thought out by DFEE, over 92 per cent have been rubber-stamping decisions in England, with no right of appeal by the victims.
LEAs in England are now using the committee system to force political policy through, which has very little to do with schools and children.
To all those who have worked to save Affetside, a great "thank you". Be of good cheer, the battle has just begun.
We will seek a judicial review in London and, if needs be, will, on behalf of our children and parents, take it on to the European Court of Human Rights where there is a case to answer of violation of our rights under that convention.
Robert M Goodman
Red Bridge
Bolton
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