Parents voice fears over Church of England academy
Tuesday, 5.10pm - PARENTS of children at Central Technology and Sports College are concerned over plans to merge with Grantham Church High School.
Tuesday, 5.10pm - PARENTS of children at Central Technology and Sports College are concerned over plans to merge with Grantham Church High School.Meetings were held last week between the organisers of the merger, which will see a new academy school established, parents and staff at the two schools.
If it gets the go-ahead, the academy will be funded largely by the Church of England.
Darren Eve, a parent of a child at Central, is worried the merger will see children from the school forced to study a faith-based curriculum.
Mr Eve said: "I have very big concerns over the plan. I send my kids to school to learn the curriculum, not to learn about religion.
"There have been academies like this set up in other parts of the country with fundamental religious backgrounds. I want guarantees this will not happen in Grantham."
However, Peter Staves, Director of Education at Lincoln Diocese, has moved to reassure parents about the future for their children.
He said: "We held meetings with the staff and parents at each of the schools which went well. I have spoken to a parent with similar concerns and what I would say is that our ethos with church schools is to have them very open and inclusive.
"Yes, the school will have a Christian ethos but we will very much welcome all faiths and people. There will be no faith criteria at all with the admittance policy of the new academy.
"But the plans are still at a very early stage and there will be many more opportunities for people to tell us what they think."
It is hoped the new academy school will open in 2012 if the merger plans go ahead, with 1,200 pupils attending.
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Sunday 01 August 2010
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