The louder you talk, the harder it is for them to listen

Day 243

20 January

I've been quite restrained about my feelings towards Dorset County Council. Until today.

If you regularly read this blog, or if you are a resident of Swanage, you'll know that there are a lot of changes planned for the education system in Purbeck. We've been able to save our first schools from closure. Education Swanage, a very competent, strong group of parents, teachers and educationalists, have spent months campaigning for a consultation to provide a secondary school in the town, so that children don't have to travel 10 miles to Wareham. Swanage children would be one of the largest towns in the country who would have to travel greater than five miles to get to school.

All along, the council have said that they were prepared to consider the option, and so the group have submitted a report to the council with statistics, such as evidence of a growth in the population (rather than a decline as the council state); the financial costs which are modest and realistic, in comparison to the regularly "amended" figures banded about by various councillors, depending on who you ask; the environmental risks; and the socio-economic impact of depriving Swanage of a secondary school.

Even the Community Overview Committee, represented by MP's across Dorset, advised the cabinet to listen to Education Swanage and advised that a consultation should take place. At the end of last year, the council said at a public meeting that they would reconvene in January to decide on whether a consultation on secondary provision should be given to Swanage, bearing in mind that Bere Regis and Sandford, which is closer to Wareham where the single-site secondary school is planned, are being given a consultation.

Oh, and that last week the council released a statement saying that they were not going to allow a consultation on secondary provision in Swanage to take place, even though the meeting to decide this was today.

The council say that it would be too costly to build another school on another site, and have staff and pupils travelling between sites, and that Swanage couldn't possibly offer a wide curriculum, like Wareham could. It even suggested that Wareham could offer 14 of the 14-19 diplomas, which seems just slightly exaggerated.

What they have not done, is considered the real logistics behind their own plans, opting for excuses, instead. For instance, they said it would cost an extra £14million to buy land and build a school, despite the fact that Swanage Middle school is a large site, and was a secondary modern until the 1970's when the town changed to three-tier education. This is despite their plans to use Wareham middle school as part of the revamped Purbeck school in the town. What's the difference?!

The council have been wholly undemocratic in denying a consultation. They have ignored the COC, MP's across the spectrum, hundreds of signatures from Swanage residents petitioning for a consultation, and a credible report from a methodical group of people.

At the December meeting, councillor Hilary Cox said she felt that the loudest voices were not always right. In this case, the loudest voices have been ignored and denied their democratic freedom.

If you believe that Swanage has a right to a voice and a consultation on secondary school provision in the town, please sign this online petition: www.ipetitions.com/petition/seondaryschoolinswanage/