The blameless parents and pupils are suffering

Erik Estrada, actor, 70; Graham Cole, actor, 67; Isabelle Huppert, actress, 66; Jimmy Nail (pictured), actor/singer, 65; Matthew Bannister, broadcaster and former Radio 1 controller, 62; Jenny Eclair (pictured), comedienne, 59; Theo Walcott, footballer, 30. REGARDING my view of the closure of Almondbury Community School: I fought long and hard to prevent its creation which was foisted on the community by an amalgamation of three schools.

The reason why this move took place was primarily because of the fall in numbers in the number of secondary pupils. Having an influx of junior age children created an enlarged population and set up the junior school building to become a special school, Southgate.

The numbers of children of secondary age has not picked up at ACS: the school was running a deficit and was propped up by the local authority.

This situation has not changed for years. It might have continued but for the fact the school was placed in Special Measures meaning the local authority had to make a structural change.

I did say that I reluctantly supported King James being asked to increase its planned intake and put the proposed Almondbury Community School primary and All Hallows in its catchment area. I have concerns about the education of children currently at Almondbury Community School particularly as there is a planned intake this year. Essentially the school will be a zombie school and will be slowly run down.

There are some children at ACS who will have been through two major reorganisations if the proposal goes ahead, these are the children who, along with their parents, need an apology the most. For myself I apologise if I have upset some who do not want to see the closure of ACS to secondary provision. Neither did I.

We all, however, know what it means when Kirklees goes for a consultation. With library provision and junior school consultations fresh in people’s memory and in the knowledge change was opposed by the vast majority, does anyone really believe that the consultation on ACS will change the proposal in any drastic fashion?

So when I am criticised by people like Linfit Joe, in last Friday’s Examiner, for asking for an apology, it is the vast majority of blameless parents and pupils who are suffering, because of this proposal, who need an apology of some kind and, as an ex-teacher myself and my father an ex-governor of Almondbury High and Greenside Infants, I feel the potential re-organisation of ACS like a bereavement. FURTHER to the letter from Robert Cheesewright, director of Corporate Affairs, Smart Energy GB, published on Wednesday, March 13.

Smart meters cannot and will not save customers money. Most customers are on “single rate” tariffs. Therefore, irrespective of when an appliance is used, the cost will be the same. Only if an appliance is turned off will any “saving” be made and that assumes that the appliance did not need to be used in the first place.

The “reason” behind smart meters is in his final paragraph, reading between the lines, and that is that, if everybody (or at least the vast majority) has a smart meter, then “demand charging” can be effected. That is, at periods of high demand, the price will be raised and this can be done almost on a minute by minute basis.

My concern is that people, particularly the elderly, will be frightened into not using the energy they need for essentials.

One further concern is that appliances will be run “off peak”. This implies overnight and therefore, unsupervised.

The public are presently advised to supervise items like dishwashers and tumble driers to ensure safe operation.