Arreton Primary School has been saved from closure as the Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA) has announced its decision to reject the Isle of Wight Council’s plans to shut down the much-loved school.
Cabinet agreed in March this year to close Arreton St George’s CE Primary School, despite backlash from parents, teachers and governors. But today(Monday) it has been revealed that the decision has been overruled.
The OSA has ruled that the closure process followed by the Isle of Wight Council was flawed – and that there was no clear and transparent way of identifying which island schools should close.
It’s said the council offered misleading and incorrect information.
Today’s news means that the school will not close at the end of this academic year and will instead remain open in September 2025.
Nicky Coates, headteacher of Arreton CofE Primary School, says:
“Whilst we are of course pleased that the OSA has agreed with us and with the diocese that the process was flawed, our mood is not one of pure celebration.
“The decision by the Isle of Wight Council to identify our school for closure in September has caused untold damage to our school, our staff, the families involved and to our local community.
Article continues below this advertisement “I feel sad and frustrated that so much time and energy has been wasted on a process that was flawed from the start. I’m pleased we had so much support from staff, parents and local residents, and that their views have been recognised as correct.”
The council says it accepts the findings of the investigation and will ensure that the points made by the Adjudicators are properly considered.
A spokesperson for the Isle of Wight Council – the local authority – says:
”The council recognises that the process to realign the number of primary school places on the Island to the number of children requiring a place has been difficult for many, and we understand that this will be a very welcome decision for the Arreton St George’s CE Primary School community.
“The council will provide additional information regarding the implications of this decision as soon as possible”.
…”Isle of Wight Council was flawed” and “the council offered misleading and incorrect information.”
Yeah, what’s new?
Wonder who got paid off? You know the minute the school closed that new housing would go up
Ummmm not actually possible as the land is owned by the church and not the council? The school didn’t pay rent nor was a tenant to any council body.
Just another example of mis-management and poor execution from our inept council
If the island is keeping schools open with low
class numbers that is a complete waste of money.
Why not bring families from the mainland over to
the island to live, and their children can fill the empty
places that are available.
A well used plans in many areas of the UK, however all we would have to offer these families would be the school places? No higher education opportunities, few job prospects, lack of dental spaces, inadequate health care facilities, crumbling infrastructure…the list goes on.
You may tempt a few from the inner cities but where would you house them without large scale investment for social housing, and this would have to be in the areas that the schools were. Pointless housing 50 families in Cowes if the schools needing them are the other side of the island.
Yet another example of our council receiving a caning for not acting in a correct, professional manner. The list of errors grows.
I hate with a passion the Isle of Wight Conservative Party and the untold damage they keep doing to the island.
But again and again and again the Independent Councillors have proven independent people cannot rule as a coalition as they have no central shared beliefs, and dither over difficult and unpopular decisions. All the schools should have been closed, not just the 2 in Tory Council wards.
If you don’t want to close schools then either approve and build a lot of social housing in the areas with excess places quickly or find a way of taking in immigrants and filling the schools with newcomers.
If neither option is tolerable then be truthful and tell people the schools have to close.
Am I the only one hoping the Combined Solent Unitary authority might be a good thing for progress on this island?
IOW council really caused so much distress and waste for basically nothing.
Only going to get worse once a bunch of idiots inevitably vote in reform soon.
Deform are a clueless bunch of individuals
who thought Brexit was good for the country.
More Dinghy’s have arrived since they voted for
their oven ready brexit.
They obviously got what they wanted – NOT!
Lol