Star date: 12th August 2016

CHARLESTOWN PRIMARY TO RE-OPEN IN SEPTEMBER – BUT NOT FOR LOCAL KIDS

Charlestown Primary School, shut down by Salford City Council in 2009, is set to re-open in September as River 2 Primary School, linked to River View Primary in Broughton – but not for local kids... "It will be for any new families moving into the Langworthy, Weaste and Seedley areas" states Head Teacher, Mr D Gauld.

Incredibly, Salford Council bulldozed three primary schools in those areas, despite being told there would be a shortage of spaces for pupils.

Full details here...

As revealed by the Salford Star last February (see here), Charlestown Primary School is set to re-open – but not for local kids.

It is to be linked to River View Primary in Lower Broughton, and branded River 2 with children wearing River View uniform. Yet the school is to be used "as a short term solution" to overcrowded schools in Langworthy, Weaste and Seedley – and moving pupils from River View to River 2 "will not be an option" states Head Teacher, Mr D Gauld.

"Whilst the provision is linked to River View it will be for any new families moving into the Langworthy, Weaste and Seedley areas" he explains, adding that schools in those areas are full.

Incredibly, Salford Council bulldozed three perfectly good primary schools in the area – Langworthy Road, Tootal Drive and Seedley – whilst being told in no uncertain terms that there would be a shortage of places. Those three schools had a roll call of 534 pupils, yet the school that was built to replace them had space for only 420 pupils. 

In 2009, the Salford Star ran a report quoting angry parents and the Seedley and Langworthy Trust (SALT) which was campaigning for more places at the time...

"Parents attending the community forum raised serious concerns which we all share over the lack of sufficient school places at the new primary school" said Lorna Leaston, SALT's general manager "This has been consistently raised over a number of years as part of the school review process – SALT actively challenged the predicted numbers at the time, given the area is a regeneration area with new families being encouraged to move here."

The Star also quoted a confidential Salford Council report from 2008 which warned of "potential overcrowd" in Langworthy, Weaste, Ordsall and Seedley primary schools, and that "Latest figures for the national projected primary population up to the year 2023 indicate a falling population through to 2010 but then an increase through to 2023" (see here). 

No-one from the Council listened, and now any new families moving into the Langworthy, Weaste and Seedley areas are going to have to schlep their kids all the way to Charlestown – which should be fun on `walk to school days'...