ex sixth form tutor
I think that the idea of co-location is a very good plan of action. Not only could it potentially reduce traffic in the town centre,people who are dont like to come into the centre due to dozens and dozens of students just standing around may start to visit the town again. the thought of sixth form "losing reputaion" is rediculous as it is just an amalgamation of the two colleges and at the end of the day it is the education of the students that is the main issue here, NOT people concerning themselves with a buildings reputation!!
Smithy
rd - agree with you. Colleges get their money from a different place than schools but it's still public money and could be spent better. All the cars and congestion in London Road will be a nightmare with 2 colleges there. My mate goes to SCAT and he reckons its hard enough now to get on to the campus and they have 2 gates. Traffic comes up London Road 2 ways and across from 2 road on the housing estate to get to the SCAT car park. It's just going to be a disaster.
rd
What a joke, i cannot believe that the council will allow this to happen. There are many secondary schools in desperate need of funding, and instead they decided to embark on a multi million pound disaster.
Anon
The comments about students not being there anger me the most. Never are students told about these meetings with announcements in tutor time (the only way we get news about college). The college are terrified of the power of majority and seem to keep very quiet about meetings that take place to do with co-location.
Chris
Even when this is all done, and no doubt it will go ahead despite the widespread opposition, in 10 years the new campus will look as ugly as the 60's buildings so loathed today! Why sacrifice some of the wonderfully historic buildings at the SSFC site? (admittedly SCAT doesnt have much going for it)Another attempt by the frankly rubbish council to sell off some more town centre appartments and the like to more elderly people, further killing the vibrance brought to the town by 12,000 students!
JB
Molan & Dowell should stop wasting time and get on with what they're paid to do - manage their respective colleges. How much more time and money will they pour into this scheme, which no-one except them seem to want and how much has been wasted already?They continually lose every argument for co-location. But do they stop? NO. Off they go and try again. Bill Dowell writes a pro co-location article, which is then published in the local press. Local head teachers are roped in to support their proposal. MOLAN AND DOWELL: LISTEN WE DON'T WANT SHREWSBURY SIXTH FORM COLLEGE TO RELOCATE TO LONDON ROAD WITH SHREWSBURY COLLEGE. SHREWSBURY COLLEGE HAS A BAD REPUTATION.
phoebe
no no no !
Sarah BaIiley
Sam Edwards -a great opportunity who for? I bet you are a SCAT student.
Daniel Greenwood
Myself and some other pupils [at the priory school] are writing reports for our geography coursework on the project. They include views from the planners and also survey results, and we are planning to publish the main points and conclusions on the internet.I have heard from a reliable source that the head of the planning department in the town is against the idea and would like to see it moved elsewhere, although no formal planning application has yet been made.
Sheila Adams
I agree with Matthew Mather, Daniel Greenwood and Roger Stott. It is a stupid idea to colocate the 2 colleges. Shrewsbury Sixth Form College could find another site. This is all about MONEY. The principals and governors are ignoring popular opinion, which is against colocation. Each time they face opposition, the issue is pushed again through different means and new arguments.Bill Dowell wrote an article, which was published in the local paper. Why is he so desperate to associate with SCAT? Money is the answer. There's a comment below which states that 'it's a great opportunity' For Whom? SCAT? They will benefit from the asscocation with 6th form and benefit from the extra money. How will 6th Form benefit? Shrewsbury 6th Form College - look elsewhere. Stop bombarding us with more and propaganda and drop this idea. incidentally, just how much money has been wasted on this project so far?
Matthew Mather
I think its a stupid idea to colocate to the london road site, no-one has taken into consideration the views of us, the students, of which pretty much all of us think its a bad idea, they should actually listen to the people its going to affect the most, otherwise its going to lose possible future pupils
Daniel Greenwood
When the issue was raised at the youth parliament elections, it almost caused a riot. It is disgraceful that while old people are protected from ageism, young people's views on matters that concern them are ignored, in violation of the children's rights act.
Sam Edwards
how can u be so ignorant as to think it will tarnish the "reputation" of 6 form its a great opportunity!
Roger Stott
It really irks me to know that the 2 college Principals and the 2 sets of college governors are so arrogant to ignore the views of so many people, including staff and students. Colocation will be a complete disaster for the sixth form college and merger will be inevitable in the long run.
Rick Lucas
Daniel Kawczynski is right to ask the LSC about a 2 scale model. Why is the co-location so important? The 6th form college could locate elsewhere.
Greg Molan's said that 'it was the co-location case which "unlocked the very high level of investment"
Why does co location unlock high level investment? It would seem to me from Molan's statement that SCAT have something to gain financially from this.
Nowhere has anyone associated with 6th form endorsed the co location. Staff, students of 6th form and we residents of London Road etc. have all opposed this merger.
But I do wonder why SCAT staff are not opposed.
Oliver Felix
It would be dreadful if the 6th Form College relocated to London Road.
Shrewsbury College (SCAT) does not have the same quality reputation that the 6th Form has. I think that the 6th Form college would lose their good reputation by moving to location with SCAT. Everyone might assume they are associated.
David Williams
MONEY, STATUS AND ASPIRATIONS.
MONEY
SCAT have a sizable funds deficit. Last year, they cut 100 part-time jobs. Clearly, they might profit from use of their land by the sixth form.
STATUS
SCAT will benefit from sharing location with a prestigious beacon college.
ASPIRATIONS
Many at SCAT feel that the colleges’ next move will be to merge and that the principal of SCAT, Greg Molan, has aspirations to be principal of the merged colleges.
TRAFFIC
Traffic is heavy at peak times along London Road. Wenlock Road, New College Road and Ebnall Road are also used heavily by college staff/students.
PARKING
Parking at London Road is not easy. Car parks are often full. The football pitches, sports tracks, tennis courts will be demolished to provide space for car parking spaces.
BUILDINGS
New buildings will also take up much of the sports fields. Sixth Form College have a number of buildings in town. How much space will the new buildings and car parks take at London Road? How much space will be left?
ANIMOSITY
Will there be animosity or friendliness between Sixth form and SCAT students? At SCAT there have fights between students from the ‘outside’.
Jason Cheung
Fantastic.............excellent oportunity for our practice!
D.England
Misconceived, unwanted and bad for the town.
Richard Green
The meeting exposed the weakness of the colleges' transport plan. I was very bothered, though, by Mr Boulton's assertion that officers at the Highways department at Shire Hall have assured him that there was adequate capacity on London Road to take additional traffic flows. This implies that there are some figures about road capacity that are available. How old are these figures? How do we, the residents, go about finding these, and, if necessary, challenging them? Is this available under freedom of information legislation? Is it sensible for planning consent to be given for a development that will produce a major change to traffic flows in the town at the very time when a comprehensive traffic survey has been gathering data to feed into a holistic transport plan for the town? Can the planners be constrained from granting planning permission at least until the latest data from the traffic survey has fed through to the Highways department, so that their recommendations are based on the most up-to-date data? Also, what are the estimates for traffic increase associated with Phase 2 of the Business Park, which will also impact on the London Road? Is it possible that that development will be stopped because, by then, the road has exceeded its capacity? Which of these 2 developments is more important to the town?
Larry Hagman
Excellent Idea.The major problem to traffic on London road is the Shire Hall and the the Prestfelde preparaotry School.As a resident of Wellington.I have seen a decrease in traffic as i try to get on to Holyhead Road since the relocation of Old Hall School despite still having ErcallWood secondary school closeby.Opposition to this proposal is typical of small nation, class biased daily mail opponents
