PARENT POWER

Five hundred children, parents and teachers marched through the city centre on Saturday in a vocal and spectacular display of opposition to Bradford Council's School Review and the proposed closure of 70 schools.

The vast majority of the schools affected were represented in the impressive turnout and passers by were left in no doubt as to the strength of feeling as kids chanted and waved placards vowing to "Save our Schools".

Elvira Grisag, Chair of Governors at Bolton Woods Middle School and one of the march organisers, told KDIS how pleased she was about the turnout: "Its fantastic and the support from the parents and children is wonderful. Its parent power, that's what its all about, parent power!!"

The march brought to a head months of frustration and anger as an inadequate consultation process has been compounded by the insensitive actions of Bradford Council and individual councillors.

In February questionnaires were sent to parents seeking opinions on the proposed change from a three tier system to a two tier one. They brought criticism from many who felt the supporting information was unclear, the response period too short and the choices presented unbalanced. The Liberal Group immediately demanded that Jim Flood, Chair of the Education sub-committee, resign.

In April a 150 strong parental lobby of a council meeting ended in rancour when debate of the school closures proposals was prevented by the ruling groups controversial use of standing orders. They ruled that no debate could be allowed regarding any decision six months after it had been taken. The ruling was widely regarded as scandalous given that council had only agreed to the recommended changes to the education system the previous month. Christine Binns, a governor at Leaventhorpe Middle who had attempted to address the council, said afterwards that "their right to free speech and to protest had been blocked undemocratically".

In May, during the run up to the Council elections, one Labour Councillor addressed a meeting at Thornton First School. He told an incredulous audience of parents that their Schools closure would enable better nursery provision in the town. He appeared ignorant to the fact that Thornton First not only already had a nursery but was one of only five in the Bradford district to cater for special needs.

What is more, when the Council have made attempts to respond to public pressure it has usually been half hearted and apparently tokenistic. In May, 30 public meetings were arranged by the Schools Review team, purportedly to enable parents to meet the team and have a frank exchange of views. However although the parents of 125 schools received invitations, parents of the remaining 125 schools effected inexplicably did not.

Mark Newman of the National Association of Head Teachers was incensed: "A vast number of schools and parents have been excluded from the meetings. Parents have been disenfranchised from the process. Every parent should have the opportunity to express their views".

Even Bradford South MP Gerry Sutcliffe now seems to be distancing himself from the shambles Bradford Council has plunged the city into.

"I am very concerned about the way the authority has done this" he said. "There was a family of schools that worked together, now there is disharmony".