From September pupils face enrolling at Knowsley Park Centre for Learning – serving Prescot, Whiston and the Wider Community. The far from catchy title – believed to be among the world’s longest school names – will be the name adopted by a new secondary in Prescot. It is to be based on the site of Prescot school which dates back to 1544. The school will be a combination of Prescot school and Whiston’s Higher Side comprehensive, one of seven new multi-million secondaries the council refer to as centres for learning.

Governors have confirmed the mouthful name will be used on the school exterior as well as signs, stationery, marketing and letters. The council-backed governing body had plumped for Knowsley Park Centre for Learning because of its Knowsley Park Lane location and the fact the school is “a completely new entity to the previous donating secondary schools”. But this angered Lib-Dem ward councillors who are furious a secondary based in Prescot, and replacing a school which had served a community for more than 550 years, had no mention of Prescot in the title.

As a compromise the governors have stretched the name to reflect all the areas it will serve. A Knowsley council spokesman today said the new name was “legally sound” and 150 responses were received after flyers asking for suggestions were sent out when consultation on the name began in October last year.
These the council said were distributed to both Prescot and Higher Side school pupils, feeder primary schools and the “wider community”, including community centres and community groups.

A spokesman confirmed that following Lib-Dem concerns over the original name the governors agreed “to always refer to the Centre as 'Knowsley Park Centre for Learning - serving Prescot, Whiston and the wider community’.” But the new name was today branded “disrespectful” by Cllr Marjorie Sommerfield, shadow education spokeswoman. She told the ECHO: “It is important that Prescot is in the title due to its historic links , we have lost enough of our identity already. “We realise it would probably need to be called Prescot and Whiston, but what they have come up with is patronising and an after thought. When you think of Knowsley Park you think of Lord Derby’s estate.”

Today Nick Seaton, chairman of parent body the Campaign for Real Education which presses for higher standards and more parental choice in state education said: “This is probably among the longest school names in the world and definitely among the most ridiculous and impractical. At least pupils will be able to practise their spelling and grammar every time they refer to their school.”

One more nail in the coffin for the historic town of Prescot whose fate was sealed in 1974. In 1976, the decision was taken to bulldoze many of its historic buildings thus erasing its character and unique and proud history forever. PLEASE don't do this. [Sueprescotian]