Gloucester Clergy join Bishop's College row

The news comes after angry parents hijacked a meeting on Wednesday night at Vale of Berkeley College near Stroud, which also faces closure under recommendations from government consultant Graham Badman.

In a letter to the Diocese of Gloucester Board of Education, the Reverend David Smith, Chapter Clerk of the Clergy Chapter of the Gloucester City Deanery, said: "Following recent public announcements, clergy of Gloucester City Deanery are deeply disturbed by the proposals to close or merge Bishops' College. In 2006, the Diocese, with the local authority, made a commitment of at least five years to students, staff, and governors of Bishops' College.

"Closure or absorption into a new academy, before a single cohort of students has completed their secondary education entirely at Bishops' College, demonstrates publicly the Church's lack of commitment to the most vulnerable."

He added his concerns over the effect the proposals would have on pupils.

"If closure or merger proceeds, the current Year 10 students will be further unsettled and disadvantaged at a crucial moment of their secondary education, and their life opportunities will be limited yet further," he said.

The letter also included names of the 21 priests who had "asked particularly for their names to be associated with the above submission".

The Badman proposals are supposed to bring Gloucestershire's schools into line with the government's National Challenge, which aims to get 30 per cent of pupils achieving five GCSE passes.

The Bishop of Gloucester, the Right Reverend Michael Perham said: "We need to be proud of what Bishops' College has achieved since its opening in 2006, especially in establishing a Christian ethos which has supported student wellbeing and pastoral care in the school.

"This summer's results show a clear sign of improvement and we deeply regret that the future of the college has been put under threat by the latest government targets. The diocese is committed to improving the learning outcomes for all young people in Bishops' College and Gloucester city, which might include the provision of an academy."

Parents

He added that the Diocese intends to continue the role of the Anglican Church in any future proposals, ensuring parents retain the right to choose a Church of England school.

He added: "However, the Diocesan Board of Education, which works alongside all Church of England schools in the diocese, believes the proposed time scales for any restructuring of education provision in the city are totally unrealistic and do not serve the best interests of the Bishops' College community.

"The DBE urges the local authority and the secretary of state to reconsider the time scales as a matter of urgency.

"We share the upset and concern generated by these proposals amongst Bishops' College and the wider community. We want to reassure everyone that the diocese is working hard to ensure the best outcome for young people in Gloucester."Priests have stepped into the row over proposals to close Gloucester's only Church of England secondary school.

Twenty one of them have personally hit out at proposals which could see Bishops' College, in Longlevens, close its doors next year.

NEWS BY:http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk

Tottenham Calms After Saturday's Riot

Fears that Tottenham would explode into a second night of violence proved unfounded as rioters and looters targeted other parts of London overnight.

On Tottenham’s High Road, where the riot broke out on Saturday, teams of street cleaners moved in to sweep hundreds of bottles and bricks from the road.

At either end of the street - now a crime scene - crowds of onlookers gathered to see the aftermath of the violence, the incinerated shells of two Vauxhall Astra police cars eerily marooned in the centre of the usually bustling road.

It was all very different on Saturday night.

In the early hours we managed to get through the police cordon to see the devastation first hand. It was a shocking scene. The systematic vandalism stretching for half a mile.

Around us many buildings were still smoking. A building site was ablaze. Tottenham’s Post Office; an Aldi supermarket; and a pub all razed to the ground.

On side roads we came across police officers in riot clothing laying on the pavement, many clearly exhausted by the ferocity of the violence they had faced.

Nearby on the pavement we saw a large pool of fresh blood.

At the northern end of Tottenham High Road we reached what had been a carpet shop.

The imposing 1930-built building it once occupied now alight, the flats above it destroyed.

More shocking though was the feral looting. At Tottenham Hale Retail Park we watched as youngsters walked away unopposed with trolleys full of plasma televisions.

Many had arrived prepared, some drove up in vans, others came armed with big plastic laundry bags which they filled with stolen clothing. The only restriction on them was how much they could carry.

On Sunday evening a convoy of low-loaders arrived at Tottenham High Road to remove the two burned out police cars and the incinerated remains of a Mercedes van.

As the rain arrived so the area emptied. By the early hours only the media and a few van loads of police officers remained as the violence seen here moved to other parts of the capital.

:: Scotland Yard confirmed that 61 arrests had been made in connection with the rioting in Tottenham, with the majority for burglary, and other offences included violent disorder, robbery, theft and handling stolen goods.

News By: http://news.sky.com