Collenswood school has now closed one week earlier than the rest of the schools in Stevenage. This happened despite Justin Donovan s denial that it would not happen when asked at one of the consultation meetings. This just goes to show don t believe every

Collenswood school has now closed one week earlier than the rest of the schools in Stevenage. This happened despite Justin Donovan's denial that it would not happen when asked at one of the consultation meetings. This just goes to show don't believe everything the LEA tell you.

We were told one of the reasons Collenswood was closing was due to the falling exam results. It was a little disheartening to hear that the current year nine at Collenswood have outperformed Barnwell in the recent SATs. If this is true it is probably due to the skill and dedication of the teaching staff and not down to the leadership of the school or the LEA. It is a shame to think that many of these teachers will have probably lost their jobs due to the merger. The LEA had admitted it made mistakes in this case but I am pretty sure that none of them have to lose their livelihood.

I have no doubt at all that the bureaucrats at County Hall have very good answers to these points but none that would make sense to us the parents of the children.

It has also been said that due to the success of this merger a proposal to merge Barnwell and Heathcote will be tabled within two years. If this is the case I hope that the parents, teachers and governors do not wait until the official consultation period before beginning the fight to save another school field from the property developer.

Having had a child go through the heartache of school closure I sincerely hope that no more are made to go through this pain.

CHRISTOPHER MAIN, Park View, Stevenage