By Julie Morgan

Last updated at 11:33, Friday, 28 September 2012

LOCAL parents have voiced their concerns over a Whitehaven infants’ school which they claim is being run “more like a business than an education centre’’.

St Gregory and St Patrick’s Catholic Community School’s Chill Out Zone Ltd, which currently provides a community food shop, wants to see if there is further demand to provide Meals on Wheels, outside catering, meals to order and cooking courses for local people.

However, parents have written to The Whitehaven News saying they are worried about the possible increase in members of the public visiting the businesses via the school.

In a letter to The News, parents state: “St Gregory’s and St Patrick’s is a fabulous school and offers wonderful opportunities to our young children.

“But in the recent year, we feel the school is putting our children at risk by being run more like a business than an education centre.’’

The school, at Esk Avenue, has a shop, the letter states, which is “inviting the public into the grounds to purchase food’’ and they ask how the school is getting permission for “all these money-spinning ideas?’’

Anthony Dwyer, head teacher at St Gregory and St Patrick’s, said: “The business and the school are entirely separate.

“The business is a not-for-profit social enterprise which provides a range of services to the local community and this fits in with our ethos of being a community school.

“The business is well established and as such requires little involvement from me.

“Here at St Gregory and St Patrick’s Catholic Community School our focus is, and always has been, to provide high quality education for all children.

“This was recognised by Ofsted which judged the school to be outstanding in 2010. Our results have been consistently well above those nationally.

“We are working practically in partnership with the learning improvement service to develop further teaching and learning throughout the school to ensure that children leave our school with the skills and attributes that will enable them to become successful lifelong learners.’’

Tomorrow, councillors at a meeting of Cumbria County Council’s Local Copeland Committee look set to agree a recommendation to fund consultants to carry out market research establishing “whether there is a demand for expanding the services at the Chill Out Zone’’.

This research – costing £9,200 – will include asking parents their views, a telephone survey of around 400 “randomly-selected’’ local people, and interviews with selected food outlets in Whitehaven and representatives of local groups who may hire the venue.

First published at 11:06, Thursday, 27 September 2012
Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk