School will close after merger bid chalked off

A failing school in the Black Country will close in August because of falling pupil numbers and poor examination results, after a merger collapsed.

The decision to shut Pensnett High School in Tiled House Lane and send students to neighbouring schools follows a 13-week public consultation.

The majority of responses were opposed to the closure.

However, plans to close the school have been approved by Dudley's education chief Councillor Liz Walker and are set to be finalised on January 6. The school will close on August 31.

There were concerns about the availability of places at other schools while others said shutting Pensnett High would "take the heart" out of the community

The decision to comes after proposals to merge with Crestwood School in Kingswinford, creating an academy, were scrapped.

Parents celebrated the academy decision as a reprieve. But in July, Councillor Walker said the authority would reconsider the school's future because it was "failing" its pupils.

Pupil numbers have dropped below the 650 capacity. In January there were 402 pupils and the projected number for September is 312. The school's GCSE pass rate of pupils getting five GCSEs, including English and maths, fell to just 11 per cent last year.