ONE NIGHT ONLY

ONE NIGHT ONLY

THE STAGE IS YOURS
To the parents, teachers, councillors, public officials and residents of Walsall and Bloxwich.
By now, many of you will be aware of the difficult situation surrounding education in Walsall — the schools that have been proposed, the schools that are needed, and the decisions now facing our communities.
You will also be aware of Reedswood's victory in protecting its woodland, following the council's confirmation that it would not grant a 125-year lease on the woodland.
So we move on.

Over recent months, I have been flooded with messages from parents telling me about their situations, their worries and, in some cases, their children not having the education provision they believe they need close to home.
Some have thanked me for what I have been doing.
But I want to make something very clear.

I AM NOT A PROTESTER.
Never have been.

You will not find me on the streets with placards, blowing whistles, marching, banging drums or holding hands and singing.
That simply isn't me.
My physical health is irrelevant to what I am trying to achieve. I do what I can, I turn up, I listen and I keep going.

But I will fight to bring investment into education for your children — especially when that investment has already been made available but the opportunity may now be lost.

So I am asking you to think.
I have never wanted confrontation.
But I will not simply sit back and allow Walsall children to miss out on an opportunity that could make a difference to their future.

When someone is prepared to invest around £50 million in a brand-new school, you do not simply throw that opportunity away before everyone has had the chance to consider it properly.

And the truth is, many people did not even know it was on the table.
I am not asking people to protest.
I am asking people to talk.
People have told me:
"You need to hold a protest."
Others have said:
"Create a community group."
I chose to go the opposite way.
I CHOSE TO TALK.
I have sat down with people from different perspectives.
I have listened.
I have put forward ideas.
I have asked questions.

And I have tried to find solutions rather than simply telling people what is wrong.
And I thank everyone who has given me their time.

I will also remain firm on something else.
I will not name the people I have spoken to, where, when or how.
They gave me their time to listen to me.
I respect that.

And I hope that respect works both ways.
Yes, I have said that things take too long.
They do.
I am the sort of person who wants to talk on Monday and start on Friday.
But I understand that is not how the system works.

WALSALL NEEDS TWO SCHOOLS.
1. A MAINSTREAM SCHOOL.
2. Appropriate SEND provision.

I am not a councillor. I am not an MP. I am not a senior official. I'm simply one of you.
And I am proud to be that.

If there is an opportunity to secure two schools for Walsall, then I will fight for that opportunity.
But I will do it in the way I have always chosen:
BY TALKING.

At this moment, an education grant that I refuse to simply lose for your children has been put at risk following the decision surrounding Reedswood.
But, like I said:
We move on.

JUBILEE HOUSE
The recent announcement surrounding Jubilee House as a possible SEND school is something I was not involved in.
I have concerns.
I have questions.
But if appropriate SEND provision can be achieved there, it will be welcomed — because it is needed.
But that is for another day.

My original campaign remains exactly what it was when I started it in August 2024.
SAVING MY SCHOOL.
SNEYD AND THE LAND IT HOLDS.
A school I still struggle to understand why people are prepared to simply forget, as though it isn't there.
A site with facilities like no other.
Over 23 acres of land.
Its own access.
Open space.
And a location unlike anything else currently available.
That was my campaign.
And it still is.
I realised what was wrong.
I did not change my position.
I adopted the matter.
I didn't campaign for education originally.
But I now speak for it.
I speak for people who are not being heard.
People who can sometimes feel out of sight and out of mind.
And I gave my word that I would try to sort it out.
When I first started, I was focused mainly on mainstream education — schools being oversubscribed and the pressure that creates.
But then I looked at the other side.
I began to understand the SEND situation.
And I realised that it was not much better.
So I did what any normal human being would do.
I took them with me.
I got something wrong.
I'm only human.
And when I realised that, I apologised and changed my position.
I am not interested in pretending that I know everything.
Because believe me, I don't.
But I know what I believe is right.
I know when I think something is wrong.
I know when to help.
I know when to speak.
And most importantly:
I listen.
I see.
I think.

And I refuse to pick one group of children over another.
I CHOOSE BOTH.

Mainstream and SEND pupils both deserve a place to learn, grow and thrive.

Parents should not feel that their only option is to take their child out of education because suitable provision is too far away or simply isn't practical.
If we can find a mainstream school, or build a brand-new one, then I believe we should also be able to find appropriate SEND solutions.

They should not be sidelined.
I am also completely supportive of appropriate SEND provision being incorporated into schools where suitable.
We only have one shot.

One opportunity to get this right.

Children should not automatically have to travel huge distances simply because we failed to provide the right places closer to home.

That is why I have tried to speak for parents who often feel they are at the back of the queue and not being heard.

I don't speak to the loudest voices. I speak to the people at the back. And I hear you.
I am going to try to help.

REEDSWOOD
I also want to congratulate Reedswood.
I attended meetings there.
I listened to their reasons.
I understood that they wanted to protect their woodland.
But I never attended those meetings to lead them.
They knew that.
I attended to listen and understand.
There are dedicated people there who have worked incredibly hard as a community.
I stepped away when things moved towards protests and what was described as a "final stand".
Because Reedswood was never my fight.
Sneyd is.
But I have never stopped listening.
And I have never forgotten Reedswood.
I celebrate their success in securing their woodland.

But now I ask them to show compassion for the children too.
Please turn your focus towards securing the education investment that Walsall still needs.

WINDSOR ACADEMY TRUST
I also want to say something clearly about Windsor Academy Trust.
Some people find it bizarre that I thank them.
But if an organisation, alongside the DfE, is prepared to invest around £50 million into a new mainstream school for Walsall and Bloxwich, I believe that opportunity should be welcomed.
And I know many parents had no idea that opportunity was even on the table.
I do not live on predictions.
I have spoken to people in the streets and asked them what they think about the Apollo.
Some look at me as though I am crazy.
They think I am talking about Apollo 13.
People across the railway tracks simply don't know.
Maybe the answer was never Reedswood and its woodland.
Maybe it was never meant to be.
Maybe it isn't Sneyd?
But I still believe Sneyd has potential.
I believe the building and land could be brought back to life with the right investment.
I believe Sneyd could once again do what it was built to do in 1978, serve education, the community and community wellbeing.
But I am also willing to make amends where amends can be made back.
Walsall Academy needs help too.
So now I need you.
If you want a school in Sneyd, or a brand, new school elsewhere, then I need the public to support the opportunity.

That happened because I have always tried to give you the truth.
I have bided my time.
And I have done this for those who need it.
Your children.
The next generation.
Not me.
We should not simply reject investment in education when that investment is needed.
If Sneyd is not considered the right standard, then we must consider the Apollo.
It is a good school.
It needs some changes, but I would not simply say no.

And I don't believe many of you would either.
So I ask BAM, Don't tear up the blueprints.
That time and investment should not be wasted.
Neighbouring towns would probably jump at the opportunity.
But I am not going to let Walsall simply lose it without trying.
Because I know we need it.
And eventually there comes a point where you can delay for so long that somebody says:
"Okay. We'll take the investment somewhere else."
And then it is gone.
I don't want that to happen.
And I won't stop trying to prevent it.
That is why I have asked whether I could speak to the DfE.
I have never been a threat.
I have never been a NIMBY.
I saw the bigger picture.
Every child deserves a place at a table in their own community.

Not to be continually sent elsewhere because we haven't planned properly.
And when children have to travel outside their own area, it does not only affect them.
It puts pressure on the schools receiving them too.
We take places from children in those communities.
It creates a domino effect.

HOW DID WE GET HERE?
Some of this could have been prevented.
Sneyd closed in 2011.
Something I still believe should never have happened.
But that is my view.
I would love to speak to the person who made that decision.
Schools and sites were subsequently sold in 2017, including SEND provision.
Manor Farm was also part of those decisions.
Again, I would love to speak to the people behind those discussions.
Because now we are playing catch-up.
And we cannot keep doing that.

We need to start thinking about the next 50 years, not simply the next few months.

GIVEN THE CHANCE
Given the opportunity, I would take the chance to speak in the Walsall Council chamber.
But I refuse to believe that two minutes is enough to properly discuss something that could affect generations.
How can meaningful decisions be made when the only opportunity for public contribution is so short that you have to rush everything you want to say?
I want a proper conversation.
A conversation where councillors from different wards and members of the public can sit together and talk civilly.
Not shout.
Not attack.
Not blame.
Talk.
Until that opportunity exists, I wait.

I have never wanted fame.
I don't want fans.
I don't want photographs or selfies.
This isn't about Phil Norwood.
It is about:
Education space.
Children.
Parents being heard.
Finding a solution that lasts.
Keeping education investment in Walsall.
And asking the council to remove the cloud hanging over Sneyd, including the proposed 73 houses.

I have done this largely on my own. And I chose that. I don't have a committee. I don't have a large organisation behind me.
But I have you.
And you are all I ever needed.
The people, the support, the messages and the conversations I have received genuinely mean a lot.
Thank you.
It means I must be doing something right.
Because without your support, your messages and your signatures, what would be the point?
So thank you for believing in what I have been trying to do.

WALSALL IS OUR HOME
Walsall is my hometown.
It isn't perfect.
But it is our home.
We have to live here.
And if there is a chance that we can change direction and create something positive, I believe we should try.
They say Walsall is deprived.
Perhaps it is.
But I say that if we come together, forget rivalries about which area we come from and work together as one, we can achieve something.
WALSALL IS ONE.
We can prove those who put us down wrong.
It is our home.
So let's start learning to love thy neighbour.
I see the litter groups doing fantastic work and taking pride in their hometown.
And I know children are not angels.
But I would give any child the benefit of the doubt.
Because without suitable class sizes, activities and opportunities, perhaps we can help more young people turn right instead of left.
I know I cannot fix everything.

And I take my hat off to all the teachers in all our schools who continue teaching classes that may already be oversized.
Teachers are human too.
They have lives.
They have pressures.
They deserve to be heard as well.

SO I AM LISTENING.
I always have been.
Parents need to be heard.
They need the opportunity to speak.
They need to put forward their ideas.
The community needs a say.
Teachers need the opportunity to speak honestly.
So come over the railway tracks.
Speak to the people from Leamore to New Invention.
Parents are being pushed to the back, spoken over or simply overlooked.
That isn't right.
Teachers may be speaking, but they also need the opportunity to be transparent with the people they serve.
We need honesty.
Otherwise we simply keep going around in circles.
And we waste more time.
So I am keeping my word.
This is a big step.
And it is not one I am particularly comfortable with.
But I am doing it for you.
ONE NIGHT ONLY
For one night only, I am stepping forward and bringing people together.
And showing you that I am real.
This is:
❌ Not a protest.
❌ Not for shouting.
❌ Not for placards.
❌ Not for whistle-blowers.
❌ Not for arguments.
❌ Not for handouts.
❌ Not to scrutinise or target people in positions of responsibility.

It is:
FOR A CONVERSATION.
ONE NIGHT ONLY.
I want to invite:
PARENTS
Parents who believe their child is not receiving the right provision — whether mainstream or SEND.
TEACHERS
Teachers from nearby primary and secondary schools who understand the pressures being placed upon education and want to see what I have been trying to achieve.
HEADTEACHERS
Those who wish to have their say.
COUNCILLORS
Those who wish to listen or put their thoughts across.
They are not coming to be targeted.
PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND WARD COUNCILLORS
Those who wish to explain their reasons or simply listen.
Again, they are not coming to be targeted.
OUR LOCAL MP, VALERIE VAZ
She will be invited.
THE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
The people who worked there until the end.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
People from all areas of Walsall and Bloxwich.
Not just one area.
Not just one side.
Everyone.
So, for one night only, let's come together.
A non-protest meeting.
A meeting where everyone is equal.
A place where we respect one another.
We listen.
We do not argue.
We talk.
We put rivalries aside.
And we try to find a way forward.
It doesn't matter which area you come from.
We are all under the same banner:
WALSALL.
LET'S FINISH THIS TOGETHER.

Then we can move on.
Then we can start making progress.
This will not be a rushed one-hour meeting.
I am giving you two hours because I want you to understand what I have been trying to do, where I believe we are now, and, most importantly, I want to hear your views.
The stage is yours.
Everyone is equal.
Nobody will be targeted.
Nobody will be shouted down.
Everyone gets a chance to speak if they wish.
Because the longer this is delayed, the more time we lose.
And potentially, we risk losing investment and opportunities that Walsall desperately needs.

So, for one night, let's put the rivalries aside.
Let's stop talking about which area wins.
Let's start talking about:
HOW WALSALL AND BLOXWICH WIN.
📍 ONE NIGHT ONLY
All Saints' Community Hall
Elmore Row
Bloxwich
Walsall
WS3 2HR
Opposite Bloxwich Library
📅 Tuesday 20 October 2026
🕡 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Disability friendly.
Refreshments will be available.
Parking is available across the road and nearby at Home Bargains and Asda.
Bus services 31 and 32 stop nearby on Bloxwich Road.
THIS IS A CHANCE TO BE CIVIL.
Put it in your diary.
Put it in your calendar.
Set a reminder.
Tuesday 20 October.
6:30pm.
We just need to talk.
Whether you want Sneyd?
Whether you want the Apollo?
Whether you have questions.
Whether you agree.
Whether you disagree.
Whether you are a parent, teacher, councillor, official or simply a resident who cares about the future of Walsall.
This is your opportunity.

But this time, the stage belongs to you.
The public.
The parents.
The teachers.
Everyone.
Hopefully, we can start putting something positive together.
I hand this to you because this is for you, not me.

I am simply trying to stitch up some of the wounds that have been created.
So don't waste this opportunity.
On this night, you will have one.
And let me make this absolutely clear once again:

THIS IS ONE NIGHT ONLY.
This is not something I intend to do regularly.
I am not going to start holding monthly public meetings.
That isn't me.
So if you have something to say about the future of education, about your child, about your concerns, your disagreement or your support for education in Walsall and Bloxwich:

NOW IS YOUR TIME.
THE STAGE IS YOURS.

SO I INVITE YOU ALL.
BE THERE.

I look forward to seeing you.
Thank you, once again, for your support.
I'm just trying to make what is wrong right.

Phil Norwood
Campaigner for Sneyd School
2024–Present