Mother Ayzee Hyner who is campaigning to keep Salt Way School open, with her children Gemma, 9, and Callum, 8 Picture Ref: 77048-60EDUCATION boss Garry Perkins has confirmed that the proposed January closure of Salt Way in Swindon may not go ahead.

Parents whose children attend the school say they were told by a council officer at the end of May that the proposed closure of the school may not happen at the beginning of next year as originally mooted.

Coun Perkins (Con Shaw and Nine Elms), Swindon Council's lead member for education, said the authority was keeping all its options open when it came to decisions about the potential closure of the Middleleaze school.

He said that it was legally impossible for the school to close before January 2006.

Officers were now examining whether, if the school was to close, it would be possible to keep it open until September 2006.

This would then depend on if there were teachers available and there were enough children still at the school.

He said: "We are looking at all avenues and options, some legally driven, some parent driven."

The council decided in principle that Salt Way was the most likely to close because of falling pupil numbers as part of the re-organisation of West Swindon schools due to surplus places.

Consultation is currently underway and a final decision will be made by the end of the year.

Parents are also concerned that if the school does close they may be forced to send their children to schools in Freshbrook and Toothill.

Martin Wicks, Swindon TUC secretary, said: "The situation is a shambles.

"The council decided it wanted to close the school without thinking through the implications. Parents have been told that Brookfield and Shaw schools are full.

"The council cannot get any mobile classrooms in position by January of 2006, hence they are talking of sending children to Freshbrook and Toothill, which is totally unacceptable."

Parent Ayzee Hyner said: "Talk of sending Salt Way children to Freshbrook and Toothill is unfeasible. Many parents who take their children to Salt Way walk because they cannot afford a car and it could take an hour for parents and children to walk to school each day with a buggy and children in tow."

But Coun Perkins insisted that was not the case.

He said: "I totally agree with parents that having to take children from Middleleaze to Freshbrook and Toothill is unacceptable.

"It may be the case at the moment that there are no places at Brookfield and Shaw and if the school closed now then children would have to travel to those schools in Freshbrook and Toothill.

"But when and if the school closes, we will ensure that parents have a choice of which school parents want to send their children and there is a lot of work behind the scenes to ensure that this happens."

Anthony Osborne