Ref. 29702-08A HEADTEACHER supports plans to close three West Swindon primary schools and says keeping his school open with so many empty spaces is a waste of taxpayer's money.

Stephen Luke, of Freshbrook County Primary School is all in favour of Swindon Council proposals to shut three West Swindon schools to solve the problem of empty school places.

As reported in the Advertiser last month, under the proposals his school could be amalgamated with Windmill Hill County Primary School and either school could shut.

He said: "I recommend that this school does close.

"You can't afford to look at your school as an individual island.

"We have to look at what's best for the children of West Swindon in the future.

"We have in excess of 100 empty places here. There are two classrooms with no classes in them at all.

"There are two classes using double classroom units that are supposed to be for 60 children. It's a waste of public money."

Other schools that are affected by the reorganisation plans are Westlea Primary School, Oliver Tomkins C of E Junior School, Salt Way Primary School and Shaw Ridge Primary School.

Mr Luke believes that closing or amalgamating schools in the area is the only way to deal with empty places and raise money to build new school buildings.

"We have been wasteful of taxpayer's money and it is money that is being poured into black holes," he said.

"We should be investing in the future for these children. It would be a very irresponsible use of public money to carry on.

"This authority is trying to rationalise so the money is being used to educate and teach the children."

He is critical of the actions of some of the schools involved who chose to leak details of the confidential plans early, as he believes they should have waited until the official consultation begins.

"We were given the opportunity to see the options early and that was done out of professional courtesy.

"I feel that we have misused that trust.

"I think they have created an atmosphere and a vision of all these schools being bulldozed and closed and children having to traipse across Swindon to get to school." In a letter sent out to parents he wrote: "The schools that are not opting to share this full picture in a balanced way with their parents are not considering what is best for the children.

"They are playing on people's insecurities, rabble rousing and looking to entrench inward looking views that do not consider what is best for the children of West Swindon."

He is joined in his views of what should happen to the schools by Paul Iles, 44, a company director and parent governor who is vice chairman of the governors committee and has an eight-year-old daughter at the school.

He said: "I would strongly support a merger between the school populations.

"If this does not happen it will generate financial problems.

"My preference would be a new school with a new name that all the children can integrate in."

Diana Milne