Here follows a statement from Cllr Susanne Rooney, pictured right, deputy chairman of Bradford council's education department, exclusively for Keighley News readers

I make no apologies for stressing that we have consulted widely and listened to local people. That is the point of public consultation.

The review team is accused of having listened to but not answered questions, ignored community feeling and not explained why alternatives have been turned down. This is simply not the case.

The team has answered thousands of queries, including those from Keighley, and officers and members have attended numerous meetings to discuss the proposals. In particular, members of the team have visited Oakbank a number of times and explained to the head and chair of governors the rationale behind the proposals and this has been repeated in writing. In addition, an explanation of each proposal and our reasons for rejecting alternatives are contained in each of the very detailed reports which have been put before the education committee. These are available to the public and usually the press include details.

I also answered all the questions put to me by the Keighley News although I am still waiting to see these published.

To quote just part of the report relating to Oakbank: Analysis of parental preferences for middle and upper schools in recent years indicates a pattern of falling demand for places in older age groups. Over 900 children travel to schools in neighbouring LEAs (local education authorities), mainly from schools in Eastburn, Steeton and Silsden and many from Keighley town and the Worth Valley.

It goes on to say: The proposal to establish a new secondary school in Cullingworth is likely to reduce demand for places at Oakbank by approximately 90 per year, mainly from the Worth Valley areas. It also points out that a 12 form entry school - as requested by Oakbank - would have over 2,000 pupils on a split site. Even the school's own funding body, the Funding Agency for Schools, recognises the merits of secondary schools not exceeding 10 forms of entry.

We cannot restrict the preferences of people who live in the Keighley area to schools within the town. Children have travelled to school by bus for many years because of the schools their parents express a preference for. It is not a question of having to bus children out of Keighley because there are no places for them, but acknowledging the fact many parents want to send their children to schools outside Keighley.

The Bront Middle School buildings will not be lost to the people of Keighley. As we have said before, we want the site to continue to be used for education and we are actively working on this.

South Craven School was built by West Yorkshire County Council for Bradford children in the Silsden-/Addingham areas and it is only due to boundary changes that this is no longer within this LEA. Parents want to send their children to this school and we see no reason why they should not continue to do so.

Finally, I am accused of stating the obvious when I say it is time to look to the future and work together to make the new system a success. This is not, as the headline on your 'Opinion' column last week claimed, a 'spin doctored, sickly platitude'. It is a genuine expression of the motive behind the review and the reason such a wide consultation took place.

It may be a statement of the obvious but that doesn't make it any the less true.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.