Imagine the future in Wigan… then imagine the jobs and careers our children and their children will be seeking in the skilled trades and professions that will emerge in future decades.
Think of developments in technology and where our next entrepreneurs will come from... of schools that can help future generations reach their full potential in modern buildings equipped with the latest IT and the best teachers and staff.
Now this dream is set to become reality as schools all over the borough have a chance to be transformed thanks to a £257m programme known as Wigan Schools for the Future.
Secondary school provision will be reorganised and many schools will receive major investment, either as part of an overall rebuild or expansion and improvement to facilities, after the government accepted the council's bid to join the national Building Schools for the Future programme.
Schools will become the heart of local neighbourhoods – real community hubs – featuring additional facilities such as health and leisure.
Admission criteria will change so that parents can be more confident of getting their preferred school place, while employers will be able to link with schools to make sure that they are preparing our young people for the jobs of the future.
Cllr Susan Loudon, cabinet champion for children and young people, said: “All this is not just a dream. Wigan Schools for the Future can make it a reality with an opportunity for record levels of investment in education right across the borough.
“Two months ago the government confirmed that Wigan is on the national programme and pledged £80m of investment towards phase one of the project.
John Wilson and Jade Cartwright check out details of their new Abraham Guest school (pictured above in an artist’s impression).
“This follows on from the pilot project at Abraham Guest, a new high school that is currently being built in Orrell. It’s a fantastic opportunity for us and will have the added bonus of creating many local jobs in the construction industry over the next few years.”
Schools included in this first phase include Westleigh, Hindley, Hesketh Fletcher, Lowton and Golborne and Lowton Junior and Infants.
The council is embarking on the next round of consultation on the phase one proposals and now is the chance to have your say. (See Next Steps below)
Further information will follow on the second and third phases of the Schools for the Future programme involving the northern and central parts of our borough.
The plans
Creating one central new secondary school for Lowton and Golborne for 1,500 pupils on the site of Lowton Civic Hall, including a primary school and children’s centre.
A primary school on the same site will allow its pupils to use PE, Art, Drama, Technology and Science facilities not provided in current schools.
Innovative staffing structures and lesson planning will be used to help pupils move from Nursery to Reception and Year 6 to Year 7.
Separate accesses with their own outdoor play areas will provide a safe and secure environment for each phase of education. Mini-schools within the secondary school will provide a personalised approach to learning and help students feel valued as individuals and parents feel welcomed and included.
Community facilities will be created on site, including a theatre, sports and health provision.
Rebuilding Hindley High School and expanding it from 935 to 1125 places.
The new building will be on the existing school site ensuring minimal disruption during the construction period. Students will continue to use leisure facilities during the build period. The new building will provide a personalised learning experience for every child and enable access to specialist facilities.
Expanding and remodelling Westleigh and Bedford High Schools to take more pupils.
The investment will further personalise learning and allow access to specialist facilities, and ensure minimum disruption during the building periods.
Atherton’s Hesketh Fletcher High School will be transformed into a specialist centre for 14 – 19 year olds in the east of the borough in conjunction with a similar centre for the west on the Pembec site.
These sites will deliver high quality specialist courses such as some of the 17 new diplomas that learners are entitled to from 2013.
Academic, vocational courses and apprenticeships will also be provided, on a part-time basis, with learners attending one or two days a week, in partnership with schools, colleges and other training providers. The centres will also provide enhanced facilities for the community to use and continue to provide extended services.
The council is working with Hesketh Fletcher and Pembec to make arrangements to ensure the continuity of quality education for those young people attending the schools.
Parents will be consulted on these arrangements (subject to the outcome of statutory consultation for Hesketh Fletcher). They will be able to choose an alternative school well before the move is due to take place so that students will be able to choose from the full range of curriculum options at age 14.
The council is working with public transport providers to ensure no young person will have an unreasonable journey to and from school.
Some families will be able to claim assistance with transport costs and this will be discussed at the time that parents are applying to alternative schools.
Next steps
Consultation
The next round of consultation on the plans outlined opposite began on September 3 and runs for four to six weeks, depending on the proposal.
The council is required to publish notices in the local press about these plans and they appeared in the Wigan Reporter and Leigh Journal on September 3 and on the council’s website at Schools For Future (external link).
These notices relate to the proposed changes to Hesketh Fletcher, Westleigh and Hindley high schools.
You can comment on the proposals and your comments will be considered by the council’s elected members at a cabinet meeting in November.
Further notices will appear relating to Lowton and Golborne high schools in January and you can comment on them during January and February 2010. A decision on these proposals will be made by the cabinet in March.
New consultation will begin on the proposed expansion of Lowton Junior and Infants between 7 September and 23 October, after a proposal to include Gilded Hollins primary school was removed from the plans after the first round of consultation.
Planning application notices will also be published and local people will be able to comment on these applications.
The planning notices will also appear on the council’s website where you will find information on how to comment on planning applications. Log on to Wigan Council (external link) and search for planning applications and planning consultations.
Admission criteria
The public notices contain details of the proposed future admission criteria for the schools in phase 1. It is important that parents can realistically assess their chances of obtaining a place at their preferred secondary school.
For this reason, the Council is prioritising those with a brother and sister already at the school, followed by those that live within the area and attend named local primary schools. The education authority will be working with schools to formalise transition arrangements for school closure or building transformation to ensure continuity of quality education for all children and young people. Parents will be contacted in due course.
