Replica watches

Byline: BEN TURNER

TEACHERS at a Merseyside school fought back tears after learning it is set to close and insisted they have not had time to turn it around.

Spyder Jackets

The ECHO yesterday revealed Sefton council plans to consign St Wilfrid's Catholic high school in Litherland to the history books by the end of August 2011.

The plan, which will be subject to public consultation, comes months after the school became the first in Sefton to be placed in special measures - an Ofsted notice handed in extreme circumstances to a failing school.

Spyder Jackets

Inspectors gave it a year to improve concluding the Spyder Jackets Orrell Road school was "failing to give its students an acceptable standard of education".

The reasons the council cited, alongside the academic failings, for closing the school included its belief that south Sefton cannot justify two Catholic secondary schools given the continued decline in pupil numbers which have plummeted from 1,626 in 2004 to 1,163 in 2010.

And the council believe it would rack up "a deficit of pounds 900,000 within two years".

Ebel Fake

Teachers at the school, which dates back to the 1950s, broke down in tears after hearing the Ebel Fake news yesterday.

One employee told the ECHO: "They have not given us chance to improve.

"This summer we got record GCSE results and our pastoral care is second to none. They're just taking the easy option."

Another said: "It is clear this is a pre-ordained decision, the council has already removed our sixth form provision and when we went into special measures sent parents letters advising them they may want to consider a new school."

A Sefton Council spokesman stressed the closure plan was "for a number of reasons."

The spokesman said: "The main issue is that of surplus places at the school, which have risen to more than 42% - meaning that the school is almost half-empty.

Ebel Fake

"This has a major impact on the amount of money the school receives. We are fully aware that any proposal like this will be incredibly difficult for those involved and will work with the pupils, parents, staff and governors throughout this process."