Consultation to be held on school merger - have your say

Cragg Vale Junior and Infant School’s building on Cragg Road, Cragg Vale, is in a poor condition.

Ongoing maintenance and running costs are unsustainable for the small school, at a time when school maintenance funding has been reduced.

This means keeping the school on the same site is no longer an option.

Calderdale Council recently held a pre-consultation asking for people’s views on a range of options proposed for the future of Cragg Vale Junior and Infant School.

The views from the consultation favoured an amalgamation with Calder High School to create a through school which pupils would attend from four-years-old to 18.

The proposal would see the current sixth form centre being used for the pupils from Cragg Vale with current Calder High sixth formers moving to a new dedicated sixth form block on site.

Councillor Megan Swift, Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for children and young people’s services, said: “Although Cragg Vale provides a good standard of education for pupils, entry numbers are declining at the school and the building is in a poor condition.

“We recently looked at a number of options for the future of this site and took on board comments from the pre-consultation. The best option for all concerned seemed to be combining Cragg Vale Junior and Infant School with Calder High School and creating a through-school.

“We would like to hear the views of parents, staff, governors and anyone in the local community about this option and I’d encourage as many people as possible to have their say on these proposals.

“The results of this consultation will then be presented to Cabinet in December, with a final decision being made in the new year.”

A further six-week consultation will now be held on this proposal. It is now open and forms can be accessed at www.calderdale.gov.uk by searching for Cragg Vale consultation.

Completed forms can be emailed to [email protected] or posted to Commissioning Officer - Access and School Planning, Ground floor, Northgate House, Halifax, HX1 1UN. Paper consultation forms will also be available at both meetings.

There are also two general consultation meetings which anyone can attend. These will be held at Calder High School in the Ted Hughes Theatre on Wednesday, November 9 from 6-7pm and Wednesday, November 23 from 6-7pm.