I AM very concerned about the effect of the threat of closure of Brandlesholme CP School on my children.

I chose this school five years ago because it had - and still has - the best to offer for my children. This was my first choice of school after considering several others. There has been a lot said about parental choice but I feel my parental choice was taken away from me when the authority decided to close the school.

When a school is closed there is usually the stigma of being perceived as having failed, but this is certainly not the case at all at Brandlesholme. In fact the opposite is true. It goes from strength to strength and has proved itself time and again.

Transferring the children to another school, without their own teachers moving with them, will unsettle them and it will be extremely hard to blend into an already established arrangement. Finding a new uniform will also cause difficulties for cash-strapped families.

Government bodies have praised Brandlesholme yet it is being closed. Why? It is a school with staff who are very experienced with regard to special-needs children who benefit from stability, security and familiar faces. This closure will, without a doubt, have a dramatic effect on these pupils, setting them back in their learning.

The school is in the heart of the community. I would ask that the closure decision be re-considered for the sake of the children and a well-respected and much appreciated staff.

KAREN L. MORRISON,

Market Street, Bury.

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