Glasgow school occupation - parents will stay

[Gerrard Winstanley]

Parents barricade themselves inside closure-threatened primary schools
http://www.theglaswegian.co.uk/glasgow-news/news/2009/04/06/parents-barricade-themselves-inside-closure-threatened-primary-schools-102692-21257934/
http://news.google.co.uk/news?ncl=1325641620
Apr 6 2009

PROTESTING parents who are staging a sit-in demonstration at two closure-threatened Glasgow primary schools have been backed by the city-wide Save Our Schools campaign.

Glasgow City Council plan to close 13 primary schools and 12 nurseries across the city as part of their school estate rationalisation plan.

But the proposals have brought an angry reaction from parents, particularly at Wyndford and St Gregory's schools in the Maryhill area where over 20 angry adults have barricaded themselves inside the two buildings.

Councillors will decide in just over two weeks' time which schools are for the chop.

The protest at the back-to-back Wyndford and St Gregory's schools began on Friday afternoon when parents gained access after attending a balloon launch and continued through the weekend.

Their cause was boosted by a rally held outside the schools by Glasgow's Save Our Schools campaign.

They have threatened to remain in the school for the entire Easter holiday. Police requested they leave the buildings but have made no attempt to force them out.

One parent, Alison Bell, whose daughter Georgie is in primary five at Wyndford, said: "We as a community are disgusted and outraged at the thought of two local primary schools being closed down in the heart of one community.

"If this goes ahead they will kill our community as people would stop moving to the area.

"There's a lot of anger among the parents."

Under the local authority proposals, Wyndford Primary would close and pupils would be transferred to Parkview Primary. St Gregory's would also shut with pupils moving to St Mary's Primary.

Parents have warned proposals would kill the community, put pupils' safety at risk and have a negative impact on their education.

Glasgow City Council will meet to decide the fate of the schools on Thursday, April 23.

A spokesman for the council said no decision had been made on any of the schools or nurseries earmarked for closure.

A six-week consultation exercise on its school estate strategy, which included 46 public meetings, resulted in more than 8000 responses.

The spokesman said: "These are currently being collated and councillors will receive a comprehensive report for them to make informed decisions on all the proposals at a meeting of the council on 23 April."