Shropshire Council approves Wakeman School closure

Wakeman pupils protest against plans to close the school

A Shrewsbury secondary school has been approved for closure by a meeting of Shropshire Council's cabinet.

The unanimous decision to close the Wakeman School in 2013 came a fortnight after it achieved its best ever GCSE results.

Head teacher Karen Moore said the school would appeal and was also considering academy status, which would remove it from local authority control.

The council said the decision was due to "unsustainable" pupil numbers.

In July, Shropshire Council also confirmed the closure of four primary schools.

The Conservative-controlled authority praised staff at the Wakeman and said the closure was due to the school's financial sustainability, rather than its standard of education.

In March, Ofsted reported that the Wakeman was a good school, with a good capacity for sustained improvement and a strong leadership.

The town centre school has only 240 pupils on its roll from September, out of a capacity of 675.

School campaigners said the falling rolls had been due to rumours over the past five years regarding its future.

Pupils from the arts college have been actively campaigning against its closure since February.

Before the cabinet meeting pupils performed street theatre outside Shire Hall, recreating a crime scene in protest against the plans.

The council said the impact on pupils would be minimised by phasing the closure over two years.