Open the new Blue Coat free secondary school in Meridian Centre, Oldham OL8

The residents of Coppice, Primrose Bank and other areas of West Oldham desperately need a Secondary school with good attainment level in our area following the closure of St Augustine and Grange School!

Schools census stats from January 2017 show minority ethnic pupils now make up 46.5% of primary school pupils in state-funded Oldham schools & 39.8% of pupils in state-funded Oldham secondary schools. According to Oldham Council’s 2018 profile document just 22.5% of the Oldham population is BME. The majority of the BME population lives around town Centre.

The number of foreign born children in Oldham schools increased from 318 pupils to 2,471 in just 4 years.

The national insurance figures release for January to March 2018 show another 530 adult migrants arrived in Oldham with 77% settling in Oldham’s central Ward.

The rapid growth of our area cannot be put to one side with land and housing being sold off to the younger population at a rapid rate.

Families are concerned for their children with the need of a Secondary School in Town Centre base. Our infrastructure spend in Oldham recently has been on shops, sporting recreation facilities and the community hub which all young children use HOWEVER what about our childrens education needs? Why is this issue being voided by our representatives when we have continual young family growth in the area?

Parents urge Oldham Council and The Blue Coat secondary school to open their new free school in Meridian Centre, Oldham OL8

Oldham Council and Bluecoat will be making their final decision on the new school's location soon, so we need act now and make our voices heard - loudly.

Please also reach out to your local councillors and MP to ensure we as a community of engaged and committed parents are heard and the educational needs of our children met.