Keynsham schools on brink of being saved

The merger of Broadlands and Wellsway schools may be ruled out when the B&NES cabinet meet next week.
The decision, due on Wednesday 21 July, is expected to conclude that the merger will not go ahead.

Closing Broadlands and merging the pupils in to a new school at Wellsway has been a hot topic for Keynsham over the past few months with all three meetings held during the consultation period attracting a formidable group of challengers. Parents, teachers, pupils and supporters for both schools united in expressing concerns and, in some cases, outrage at the proposals.

However, on Thursday this week, Councillor Chris Watt, Bath and North and East Somerset Council’s cabinet member for children’s services, is reported to have announced that his recommendation to the cabinet was for “no change to schools in Keynsham”.

He said the authority had tried but failed to “get in early” in the Building Schools for the Future programme, which was scrapped last week by the Coalition Government.

Without the money for a new school for Keynsham on the Wellsway site, Broadlands pupils would not receive a higher standard of education than they get already especially since both schools have a “satisfactory” Ofsted rating.

He said: “It’s not about national policy, it’s not about local politics, and it’s not about demand from parents in Bristol, though they made it pretty clear they wanted to keep the school open. We don’t believe that closing Broadlands would bring about improvements.”

Both Head teacher and Governors of Broadlands have expressed delight at the promising news and fell that the support from everyone in Keynsham has obviously contributed to the lifting of the shadow over the school.

We obviously wait with baited breath for the formal announcement from the B&NES cabinet on Wednesday.

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