A DISABLED pupil has asked Conservative leader David Cameron to help fight for the future of Radcliffe Riverside High School.
Emily Riley, aged 12, met Mr Cameron on Sunday during a private visit to Radcliffe Girls’ and Boys’ Club.
She handed him a letter she had written about the planned closure of Radcliffe Riverside in 2014.
Mr Cameron spent time asking Emily about the scheme and plans to build a new Derby High School in Radcliffe.
She also raised her concerns about the suitability of the borough’s other schools for children with disabilities.
Emily, of Chapeltown Road, Radcliffe, has cerebral palsy and epilepsy and spends much of her time in a wheelchair.
In her letter, she wrote: “If Bury Council closes the school, they are taking away the choice of disabled children like me and all children who live in Radcliffe. There is only one school in Bury which is fully accessible. It is all on one level and I can move around the school easily with either my wheelchair or my walker.”
Emily has been involved with the campaign to keep Radcliffe Riverside High open for several years and has previously written to councillors and the local education authority.
After hearing about Mr Cameron’s visit to Radcliffe, she decided to write a letter asking him to speak to Bury Council leader Bob Bibby about the closure.
Emily went to the Withins Avenue club on Sunday to hand-deliver the letter to Mr Cameron.
Her mum, Karen, said: “Emily wants to save her school because she loves it so much. It’s made a real difference to her life.
“She is much more confident, she has made lots of friends locally, and everyone has been very supportive. She will be able to complete her education there, but other disabled children won’t have that chance.
“She was thrilled to meet David Cameron and hopeful that something might happen. He listened to everything and took it all on board. He asked about the nearest school and whether money had been secured yet for the new school, and said he would look into it.
She added: “I saw him reading Emily’s letter as he was driving away after his visit.”
Ian Chambers, assistant director (learning) at Bury Council, said: "A number of schools are fully accessible, and reasonable adjustments have been made in all others to enable the needs of pupils and staff to be met.
"In respect of Radcliffe Riverside, the East campus is on a single level and is fully accessible. It is intended to consolidate the whole school onto this site from 2010, thereby ensuring that all pupils currently on roll at Radcliffe Riverside can remain with their friends while accessing the full range of facilities.
"Children living in Radcliffe who will go to secondary school fom 2010 onwards will have a number of accessible schools within a reasonable distance to choose from. In addition to Radcliffe Riverside, nine of the other 13 mainstream secondary schools currently have pupils on roll with physical difficulties, and five of these schools are within a three-mile radius of Radcliffe Riverside.
"It is certainly not the case that pupils with disabilities would be left in the school in the event of a fire. All schools have effective fire evacuation procedures in place.
"Of the school referred to as having an Achievement Group, this supports pupils with a range of learning difficulties and disabilities. This does not exclude pupils from other aspects of school life, but provides additional support where it is needed. This provision was recently highly commended by a parent on the Bury Times' Letters page.
"Ofsted say that in the majority of our secondary schools the provision for students with learning difficulties or disabilities is either good or outstanding."
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