Head hits back after damning report by inspectors

Head Chris Marston believes inspectors have been too harsh in the report which is highly critical of him and Crompton Fold and sent out shock waves in Breightmet.

In the aftermath of the report, a primary school half a mile away which is facing closure under Bolton Council shake up is demanding a reprieve.

Education secretary David Blunkett has been asked to lift the axe hanging over Moss CP School after the critical report on Crompton Fold.

Inspectors criticised the headteacher and said Bolton's first opt out primary does not give value for money and needs special measures to turn it around.

But Mr Marston, who has only been in the job for about a year, said: "It lacks balance and does not recognise all the improvements which have taken place over the past year. If you look at our year-on-year SATs results at key stage one and stage two, there have been improvements in every single area."

The governors, chaired by Anne Hickson, who led the opt-out battle, were also criticised for not holding the school to account over education standards.

Now, campaigners fighting to save the threatened Moss CP, say the report on Crompton Fold completely changes the picture of primary school provision originally painted to Mr Blunkett.

They have told the education secretary that backing the council closure plans -- currently on his desk awaiting a decision -- will leave some Breightmet parents with little choice but to send their child to a failing school which has nearly 400 pupils.

And they say if the working party looking at the problem of surplus places had known about the problems at opted out Crompton Fold, it might not have recommended closing the Moss. Crompton Fold, the Moss and Blackshaw CP -- all in Breightmet -- are bitter rivals in the battle for a falling number of pupils in the area and Moss campaigners were furious when the grant maintained school was excluded from the review at an early stage because it is popular with parents.

The Moss campaign group leader, Andrea Ashton, blames Crompton Fold's large size for its problems and says Mr Blunkett should now order the council back to the drawing board to cut future intakes and create three medium sized primaries to serve the area -- the Moss, Crompton Fold and Blackshaw CP.

Standard

Campaigners believe that, in the wake of the report, parents of three and four-year-olds will start returning to the Moss, which Ofsted say provides a good standard of education and value for money. But first the axe hanging over the school must be lifted.

She said: " I feel sorry for the parents and children at Crompton Fold -- their children are very similar to my own because they are casualties of a situation.

"Bolton LEA seem to be falling apart at the seams. On the one hand they want to close the Moss, a well achieving school, because we do not have enough bottoms on seats and, on the other hand, their perfect idea of a school, which is Crompton Fold, obviously has too many bottoms on seats to teach properly.

"I am sure even Bolton LEA can see the solution. Let's be realistic and demand a first class education for the children in Breightmet."

But the council insist the report will not affect the current closure plans and deputy director of education, Terry Piggott, said: "The review has been concluded and the proposals published. "Crompton Fold was one of the first schools to be inspected under new Ofsted arrangements which set a tougher standard so you are not comparing like with like.

"The Moss has room for 280 but there are less than 100 on roll and the adjacent school at Blackshaw can be adapted to take those children.

"We are confident the difficulties at Crompton Fold can be resolved and expect there to be substantial progress next term, with the school returning to full health within one year.

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