The Mirfield Reporter has learnt of possible options for the referendum announced last week. Click Here For News On The Referendum

NOTE: Proposals that would see castle hall closed are marked in red.

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Option 1
Original proposals announced in September

• Birkdale and Westborough high schools would be closed and replaced with a new academy for 1,500 pupils on the Westborough site.
• Earlsheaton Technology College would expand from 947 pupils to 1,200.
• Thornhill Community Science College would expand from 900 to 1,200 pupils.
• St John Fisher Catholic High School would lose its sixth form.
• There would be no sixth form provision in Dewsbury.
• Castle Hall School would be closed and merged with Mirfield Free Grammar, where pupil numbers would increase from 1,090 to 1,500. The sixth form would increase from 270 to 500.
• Batley Girls' High School and Batley Business Enterprise College would be closed and a new, mixed school for 1,650 pupils would be built.
• Whitcliffe Mount would lose its sixth form.
• Whitcliffe Mount would beecome a super high school or two smaller high schools would be set up, one in Cleckheaton and one in Birkenshaw.
• Heckmondwike Grammar sixth form would expand from 400 pupils to 900.
• Spen Valley Sports College would expand from 900 pupils to 1,200.

Coun Dodds will ask the Cabinet to scrap these proposals at next Wednesday's meeting.

Option 2
Announced on Tuesday

• Birkdale and Westborough high schools would be closed and a new high school for 1,300 pupils would be built on the Westborough site.
• Earlsheaton Technology College would expand from 947 pupils to 1,000.
• Thornhill Community Science College would expand from 900 to 1,000 pupils.
• St John Fisher Catholic High School would keep its sixth form.
• A Dewsbury sixth form, initially for 500 pupils, would open on the former Wheelwright Grammar site.
• Mirfield Free Grammar would expand from 1,090 to 1,200. The sixth form would increase from 270 to 400.
• Castle Hall School would stay open on its current site with capacity for 1,000 pupils.
• Batley Business Enterprise College would become a co-educational school for up to 1,000 pupils with a separate single-sex provision for 300 boys on the same site.
• Batley Girls' High School stay open on its current site and offer single sex-education for 600 girls.
• A new high school on the site of Birkenshaw Middle for 1,200 pupils. It would work closely with Batley Business Enterprise College and Batley Girls' High School in a federation arrangement.
• Whitcliffe Mount would have 1,200 pupils but lose its sixth form.
• Heckmondwike Grammar School would have 700 pupils up to Year 11. The sixth form would expand from 400 pupils to 500.
• Spen Valley Sports College would expand from 900 pupils to 1,000 pupils.

This would be one of the two options in the proposed referendum.
Cost of proposed work: £200m

Option 3
Announced on Tuesday

• Birkdale and Westborough high schools would be closed and replaced with a new academy for 1,650 pupils on the Westborough site.
• Earlsheaton Technology College would expand from 947 pupils to 1,200.
• Thornhill Community Science College and Castle Hall School in Mirfield would be closed and replaced with a new high school for 1,500 pupils on a site behind Ravenshall Special School in Thornhill Lees.
• St John Fisher Catholic High School would keep its sixth form.
• A Dewsbury sixth form, initially for 500 pupils, would open on the former Wheelwright Grammar site.
Mirfield
• Mirfield Free Grammar would stay at its current size of 1,090. The sixth form would increase from 270 to 400.
• Batley Business Enterprise College would stay open on its current site but as a co-educational school for 1,650 pupils.
• Batley Girls' High School would stay open on its current site but as a co-educational school for 1,200 pupils.
• No provision for a new high school in Birkenshaw.
• Whitcliffe Mount would expand to 1,500 pupils and lose its sixth form.
• Heckmondwike Grammar School would have 700 pupils up to Year 11. The sixth form would expand from 400 pupils to 500.
• Spen Valley Sports College would expand from 900 pupils to 1,200.

This would be one of the two options in the proposed referendum.
Cost of proposed work: £246m - £46m over budget.

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