This includes:
- A new secondary school catering for pupils aged 11-16 years. This would comprise of students from both Lowton and Golborne High schools;
- A new primary school for children aged 4-11;
- A children’s centre for babies and children aged 0-4;
- Community and leisure facilities.
The learning campus would provide a seamless transition through early years, to primary and secondary school and the campus would be at the heart of the community, providing additional community and sports facilities for use by all local residents.
The proposals involve closing both Lowton and Golborne High schools at the end of the 2011 academic year and replacing them with a new, 1500 place secondary school on the Lowton Civic Hall site. The new school will operate on the existing sites until the new building is complete, which is currently scheduled for September 2012.
The new Lowton and Golborne High school will be run by the Golborne and Lowton Co-operative Learning Partnership.
The Partnership is a newly formed Mutual Co-operative Membership Trust, which will build on the long-standing and effective collaboration between Lowton and Golborne High schools. The Trust has the following partners:
- The Co-operative Group
- Wigan and Leigh College
- The University of Central Lancashire
- Edge Hill University
- Wigan Borough Sports Council
- Wigan and Leigh Culture Trust
- Lowton High School
- Golborne High School.
The new school will cater for up to 300 students per year.
The proposals for Lowton and Golborne will also involve enlarging Lowton J&I primary school and relocating it onto the new learning campus.
Wigan Council’s Cabinet has given the go ahead to progress these proposals and regular updates will be given as the Wigan Schools for the Future programme progresses.
Plans for the new high school are still subject to funding and planning approval.
The story so far:
May 2009 – Stage one consultation on Wigan Council’s proposals to discontinue Lowton and Golborne High schools and form a new Lowton and Golborne High School on the Lowton Civic Hall site begins with parents, staff, governors and the wider community.
July 2009 – Cabinet decides to progress the consultation on the secondary schools to the next stage.
September 2009 – Proposals are invited for bids to run the new Lowton and Golborne High school.
January 2010 – the statutory notice to discontinue Lowton and Golborne High schools and establish a new school is published on 14th January 2010 and a 6-week representation period followed. On the same timescale, the notice is published which details the proposals received and invites comments.
March 2010 – Wigan Council’s Cabinet agree to discontinue Lowton and Golborne High Schools and establish a new secondary school on the Lowton Civic Hall site run by the Golborne and Lowton Co-operative Learning Partnership.
Plans are subject to planning and funding approval and consultation will begin on the design of the school with key stakeholders in the near future.
