Parents’ delight as Moreland school survives closure

Published: 6th May, 2011
by PETER GRUNER

A PRIMARY school threatened with closure has received a remarkable last-minute reprieve after parents and staff fought to keep it open.

Moreland, off Goswell Road in Finsbury, will keep its ­identity under a controversial merger with neighbouring St Luke’s Church of England school. At the same time, St Luke’s will retain its building rather than have to move to a new £6million development on the Moreland site.

However, Moreland, the less successful of the two schools, will be governed by the headteacher at St Luke’s, judged by Ofsted as “outstanding”, as part of a two-school federation.

Moreland, whose current building is severely dilapid­ated, will be rebuilt on its current site along with much-needed social housing.

It means children and staff at Moreland will not need to be relocated elsewhere during demolition and rebuilding of their school.

The original plan was to provide temporary classrooms at St Luke’s during rebuilding.  Instead, children and staff at Moreland will remain in the current building as a new school is built onsite around them.

Parents, teachers, union officials and school governors this week cautiously welcomed the scheme, which follows a consultation by Islington Council.

The Town Hall’s executive member for education, Labour councillor Richard Watts, said they had listened carefully to parents and teachers.

He added: “We at the council always wanted an improved Moreland, a new building for that school, and more social housing, which is desperately needed in  the borough.

“It looks like we can get all these things by keeping the identities of the two schools rather than merging them into one.

“An executive headteacher from St Luke’s will run the two schools and there will be a joint governing body. It will also mean that Moreland can keep its secular status.”

Ken Muller, assistant secretary of Islington NUT, said parents and staff at Moreland would be very pleased that the threat to their school has finally been lifted.

“We think it vindicates the position taken by the NUT and other staff unions,” he said.

“We are glad that the campaign to save the school has convinced the council that it would be the right thing to do. Our obvious concern now is that jobs and conditions are protected.”

Parents and staff at St Luke’s had also preferred a federation option and voted against the council’s original plans  to merge the two schools into one.

Chairman of St Luke’s governors, David Forsdick, welcomed the new decision. 

He said: “We think it is a very good opportunity to share the success of St Luke's and help improve the education of Moreland. 

“We’re looking forward to working with Moreland community under our head teacher’s excellent leadership.”