Clitheroe 22321, (Editorial), 22323 (Advertising). Burnley 22331 (Classified) I CRGS head answers doubters If
I WOULD be grateful if you would allow me to cor rect several points of mis information in a recent let ter by Mr Richardson and last week’s comments by Coun. J. B. Parker on the decision of governors of Clitheroe Royal Grammar School to ballot parents on the grant maintained option. 1. It is well to remem
ber that, although gover nors may initiate a ballot of parents, it is parents themselves who make the decision on whether to submit an application for grant maintained status. The inference given in Mr Richardson’s letter was that governors decide. This is not so. 2. A rhetorical question
grammar school. 4. The recent endea
vours to appoint a new head have absolutely no bearing on the GM issue and to suggest so would be to impugn the LEA advisers and elected mem bers of all political persua sions who were party to the shortlisting and inter view procedures. 5. There is absolutely no,
is asked of whether the school is under threat of closure. The Labour Party Conference recently rein forced the resolve of any future Labour Govern ment to abolish the rem a in in g grammar schools. Closure is, therefore,
question that GM status would “destabilise second ary education in the Rib- ble Valley” and lead to “the closure of a local secondary school.” The admission limits of CRGS are determined by the DES, which recently approved the governors’ application to increase the admission number to 120. Under GM status it would not be empowered to admit any more than this number, so that one is at a loss to understand how
.this might be to the detri ment of other local second ary schools. The school already
■Governors, therefore, take the view that there is some urgency in consid ering the GM option, if only for the degree of pro tection it may afford. 3. Mr Richardson states
not an issue. Abolition of a school which, by any cri teria, is extremely suc cessful, not only in gain ing success for its pupils, but also, by its achieve ments, reflecting credit ably on the town, most certainly is an issue.
that under Local Manage ment of Schools (LMS) the school would control 90% of its budget and, there fore, no advantage could be gained. What is per haps overlooked is that if the school has to set up management systems to administer 90% of its fund ing, it might just as well go one step further and control the entire 100%. As the only grammar
admits a limited number of residual candidates and th is , too, could be expected to continue. In the future, as now, no residual candidates would be offered places until all local children of grammar school ability had been accommodated. For Coun. Parker to assert that “chil dren from Chorley, Pres ton and Accrington” would receive priority over Rib- ble Valley children is sim ply alarmist and untrue. There is, therefore,
ents that the vast majority (80%) of staff at CRGS approve of the measures that governors are taking.
troversy has arisen from the allegations of Coun. J. B. Parker that parents are meeting “behind closed doors” to discuss the opt- out proposals. Not only is this unnecessarily emotive language, it is also factu ally incorrect. Coun. Parker failed to mention that, on September 10th, ALL parents and gover nors were invitea to a meeting to learn more about the Grant Main
7. A great deal of con
tained Option from repre sentatives both of the LEA and the GM lobby. At this meeting over 300 people were present. To satisfy a request for
further discussion, it was resolved th a t parent governors should host a second meeting of parents and again an invitation to ALL parents to attend was issued. The fact that only 74 parents chose to attend this second meeting seems to indicate that most were satisfied with the information received at the initial parents’ meeting. Finally, it is stated that
Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, October 18th, 1990 7
the reasons for pursuing GM status “ are more related to political dogma
than objective considera tion.” I am afraid that it is Mr Richardson and Coun. Parker who are introducing politics into the issue. Governors have deliberated at great length on the basis of what is best for the children and the school. This, signifi cantly, is a consideration not addressed by either party.
T. C. F. BARLEY, Headmaster, Clitheroe Royal Gram
mar School.
No need to be vague about Bible prophecies
referred to. Mr Needham concedes that they are in the Bible, but gives no clear alternative teaching about them. What does the phrase “When history is gathered up into fulfilment” mean? This is certainly
I AM not sure what is odd about the views of Bible prophecy I have
part of the words of Jesus in Luke 21 related to “The lifetime of the first hear ers.” Profane history con firms that a section of the prophecy was fulfilled with the overthrow of Jerusa lem in AD 70.
not a Biblical phrase. He is right to say that
school left in tfie LKA, the school does suffer finan cially from the application of an LMS formula designed to accommodate the norm of the county's schools, which are predo minantly 11-10 eompre- hensives, and not an 11-18
absolutely no question that local children would be disadvantaged by GM sta tus. Indeed, before any application for GM status is ratified by the Secretary of State, the future admis sions procedures must be thoroughly examined and approved. CRGS would remain, as it has always been, the servant of the town and its catchment area in the Ribble Valley. On this issue, as in so many more, nothing would change! 6. Parents are advised
prophecy, however, clearly has not yet been- fulfilled, but certainly will1 be. This speaks of the true Gospel hope — the return of Jesus to the earth. “Then shall they see the. Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory,” Luke 21 v 27. Then Jesus will stand upon the Mount of Olives, from where he ascended to heaven. “This same Jesus shall so come in like man ner as ye have seen him go into heaven,” Acts 1 v 9-12.
The latter part of the
to contact “ the large minority of staff at the school opposed to opting out.” It is probably gen eral knowledge to all par
Anonymous to lullus Caesar
FAMOUS ■IFONLYS...’
essence of the Gospel hope as being the return of Jesus and the Kingdom of God on earth, this is, of course, not to deny that the Bible speaks of many other things. These are different aspects of God’s purpose and his require ments of us, but supple ment and do not contradict the other matters. Certainly we must
While emphasising the
and those who heeded it particular prophecy by escaped when Jerusalem Jesus clearly says, “When was destroyed. The fatter ye see these things come
part of the prophecy relates to our own day, equally a time of crisis. Mr Needham is, how
■ hand,” Luke 21 v 31. This is the true Chris
to pass know ye that the Kingdom of God is nigh at
ever, right when he says, that all that can be done now, as then, is “Wait with hope for God to inter vene and sort it all out.” We need not, however,
be vague about what this means. It means, as the
tian hope centred on the return of Jesus to reign over that Kingdom from Jerusalem.
TERRY G. MILLS, 11 Shays Drive, Clitheroe.
Solution is in our own hands
MY original letter on September 20th was an attempt to start a discussion of the best and quickest way to prevent yet another idiotic war, this time in the Middle East.
immediate cause was oil and that we might con sider less provocative and dangerous ways of supply ing our energy needs. The correspondence has
I suggested that the
taken a strong religious bent and has stimulated an
whatever help comes to hand in this private communion. Then open your eyes
interesting discussion of source you want to attrib the effectiveness of the ute it that that is the way Scriptures in pointing a ' of implementation and way towards the salvation “Out There," now, is the of modern society.
repent and believe and be baptised. What are we to believe, though? The Gospel of the Kingdom of God; not some vague phi losophical alternative. If we do believe this, then our faith will transform us so that our daily living is “focused on the hope and expectation of the Lord’s return and not on present material values.” The Olivet prophecy
the ef fec tiv en es s of prayer. To bow the head, close
n a word of support for
nevertheless spent a life- environment, civilisation, time gasping at the won iders of nature, may I put
As an agnostic who has kind has ever faced — the greatest challenge luiman-
tile eyes and clasp the pose, even to support the hands -in some quiet place humanist argument I have seems to me a very good so far resisted the tempta- way to consider a problem tion to do so. an opportunity to
remarks in “The Merchant of Venice," the Devil can cite Scripture for his pur-
human survival. I would like to point out that while, as Antonio
spoken by Jesus did relate to a time of crisis in AD 70
establish its length and breadth, to think out the options and decide on a course of action, with
Crimnton Farm, Cow Ark.
DONALD BOARDMAN,
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Shy writer should offer services to improve local government
parapet and stop hiding behind your newspaper, I can assure him that, my glasses are perfectly adequate to see who and what your mystery writer is:- A little Englander!
IF the “Concerned Clitheronian” would just pop I p
Ribble Valley on its own would get better services for its money. Ribble Valley is the lar
I do not believe that
gest geographic area of Lancashire at 19.1% of the total area, while its popu lation at .3.8% is the smallest. More important, Ribble
network of roads. Improved highways
maintenance will require higher poll tax. The Government cares little about renewing or main taining the country’s infrastructure.
Valley contributes the smallest share of the county budget, again at 3.8%. Footpaths and roads:- I am sure I, too, could walk or
and find highways
may not have seen any work for 10 to 15 years; that does not mean we do not receive our share of the highways budget. Every six weeks the divi sional
ride around Clitheroe that
reports progress on high way repairs and improve ment throughout Ribble V__^
road
At this point I believe yo mr “Concerned Clith- eronian' makes his most stupid comment when he asks why Clitheroe and Ribble Valley should con
alley. u
Preston.
going to contribute to the ead/Simonstone bypass analysis of the county bud-
tribute to byroads around months ago, when the county budget was first reported.
of these issues Who does he believe is A much more detailed
£7.1m, or the improve- get, with telling statistics ments to the A59, when it for the need of such large spans sev eral miles ex p en d itu re of both through Ribble Valley, at revenue and capital, is some unspecified x mil- available at Clitheroe Pub- lions of pounds. A total of 96% of these
and all other expenditures incurred in Ribble Valley
engineer his head over the
hedgerows and the provi sion of recreational facili ties are the direct respon sibility of Ribble Valley Borough Council. The present standard and lack of provision of these two services is proof positive that Ribble Valley Council on its own would not pro vide better services. Let me deal with the
financial queries “Con cerned Clitheronian” gleans from the glossy p am p h le t , “ Budget 1990/91 F a c ts and Figures,” issued with his poll tax bill.
Why does your shy eor- respondent only now bring forward these
Because, Mr Editor, you already know that I have given you the answer to each
figures? Cleaning of streets and gency item made provision for r
increases of 5% to 5.5% and we all know how wrong these inflation figures turned out to be. The 1990/91 provision
p r ic e s and pay
about the inflation provi sion, but your “Concerned Clitheronian” seeks to sen sationalise this particular statistic, I suspect for political motives. In 1989/90, this contin-
There is nothing sinister
CONTINENTAL WALKERS
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|l Sizes 18 - 40 (1st Walking to Size 7) ~
for inflation to cover pay and price increases is 8% and again we all know that inflation is now out ,of con trol at 10%, most of this inflation being the result of the Government’s dis graceful economic record. For each 1% that the infla tion figure is wrong it costs the county council £4m. Your “Concerned Clith
eronian” will find all the answers in the detailed budget in the library, such as why Social Services needs £135m. in 1990/91.
of £540m. represents something rather more than the silly statistic- quoted by your correspon dent; again, if he can find his way to Clitheroe Library, he will .find some very revealing education statistics in the county council budget document. The Ribble Valley elec
The Education Budget
lie Library. The actual increase in
by Lancashire County 4.2% is financial adjust- Council are contributed to ments in both years to by the remainder of Lan- county council fund cashire residents from the balances. other 13 district councils. The county surveyor
has consistently, over recent years, reminded the county council that insufficient resources have been made available to
y .* f-.V. ^ ■ ■ " - - - • - 1 — 7^ ... . . . . . . . r> '
expenditure year on year was 15.62%; the additional
maintain the existing by a long way.
the Lancashire Tory MPs, the Government did not cap the county council 1990/91 budget. The county council did not exceed the capping criteria
Despite the efforts of all
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tions are in May, 1991. Perhaps your “Concerned Clitheronian” might have overcome his shyness and offer his services to improve local government. On the other hand, your nameless correspondent may already be an elected councillor afraid to crawl out of the woodwork.
RON PICKUP, C .I i t 'h e ro e C o unty- Councillor, 9 Lingfield Avenue, Clithcroe.
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TEL: 0200 24352 OPEN: M
and — lo and behold — right in front of them your own two hands! There you have a clear indication from whatever
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YFC sedre for blind
LOOKING pleased with their efforts are some of the Clitheroe and District Young Farmers, who played a 24-hour volleyball game to raise money for Guide Dogs for the Blind. The lengthy game took
place at Trinity Youth Club over the weekend, noon to noon. Some 22 YFC members were involved, playing five-a- side during the day and four-a-side overnight, and their efforts raised more than £320. The group now has
Ran taxi service during the war
A FORMER Clitheroe resident who ran a taxi service during the last war has died in hospital in Derbyshire, aged 86.
about i'GOO of the £1,000 needed to sponsor the training of one dog, which will be given to a blind person in Clitheroe. The town’s young farm
1933, two years before driving tests began, at a time when women drivers were a rarity. During the latter half of
born into a business family in the Whalley Road area of town. She learned to drive in
Mrs Margaret Black- hurst (nee Vaughan) was
ers are. no strangers to marathon fund-raising: three years ago they held a 24-hour badminton game to raise money for charity. But that was much easier, said club leader Jeff Wear- den, as it was only two-a side and wrists and arms did not ache so much afterwards. Je f f organised this
the 1930s, the family had a small taxi and hire car business and when her husband, Les, went into the Army in 1939, she went to work in a cotton mill for a short time, before restarting the taxi business. She ran it almost single-handed until about 1946. Mrs Blackhurst was
player. After failing health, she went to live in a private residential home in 1986.
Appreciating Indian
summer
THE minor Indian sum mer at the weekend was appreciated by 15 mem bers and friends of the Clitheroe Ramblers on their first away weekend of the season. Staying at Brough, in
year’s volleyball event, as le has had plenty of experience of the game — he used to play for Ribb- lesdale School. The YFC members try
noted for the way in whielr she decorated the wedding taxi with ribbons and her own uniform of white smock and a peaked cap. After the war. Mr and
to help different deserv ing groups every year. Last year all the money aised went to three local charities.
Ill wind
IT’S an ill wind . . . Members of the Ribble
tee heard that a parent had complained about the new 50p return-coin stor age lockers at Clitheroe's Kibhlesdalo Pool, as her child promptly spent the returned coin in the pool’s vending machines!
Valley Council's Recre- ition and Leisure Commit
Mrs Blackhurst -kept the taxi business going, but also opened a cafe/confec- tionery shop in Whalley Road — a shop which, coincidentally, was the same one once owned by Mrs Blackhurst’s parents. In the early 1950s, the
couple took over the White Horse Hotel in York Street, before moving to the Eagle and Child in Hurst Green.
the Yorkshire Dales, the group chose the Northern Pcnnincs for the main walks of the weekend. On Saturday, an eight-
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strong party ascended the popular High Cup Nick, part of the Pennine Way. After lunch at the summit, six members decided to extend the walk over the moors towards Great Dun Fell, before returning by track and lane to the wait ing cars at Dufton. Nine Standards Rigg at
662 metres was the venue for Sunday, parking at
. Following her husband’s death in 1964, Mrs Black hurst left the public house and opened a pram and nursery wear shop near Castlegate, moving to live in Chatham. In the in id-70s she
moved to Ripley to be closer to her family, becoming a keen whist
Hartley, near Kirkby Ste phen. The walkers were amazed to see two noisy parrots flying around the surrounding trees and, on completing the climb over Hartley Moor, the nine columns of stones were finally reached. To avoid a long detour,
the party reluctantly traced its steps back, with the reward of spectacular views of surrounding ranges of hills, such as the Howgills and Cross Fell.
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