“Realistically we are looking at a large number of primary schools that will need to close,” an Isle of Wight councillor has said. It comes as new figures reveal by September 2027 there will be nearly 400 empty places in primary schools across the Island — equating to 30% of all places or 11 empty primary school classes. Councillor Tig Outlaw highlighted the numbers at a meeting of the Isle of Wight Council’s policy and scrutiny committee for children’s education and said the council would ‘need to close a minimum of eight to ten or a maximum of 15 plus’ schools. He said even if there was a sudden burst of births on the Island it wouldn’t be enough to keep all the schools open. The council’s new children’s service director, Ashley Whittaker, said the authority has made no decisions about any closures yet, they were ‘not at that stage’ and were in ‘more of a listening mode’. The authority will, in the coming months, engage with and listen to parents, children and staff on what they think should happen with the Island’s primary school futures. Mr Whittaker said it is a very complex matter and the council does recognise how sensitive an issue it is for children, parents and staff. He said the consultation and engagement sessions need to be as honest, open and transparent as possible. A consultation will then be launched, potentially in June, about schools that are ‘appropriate to close or amend’. The final schools proposed for closure or change are set to be named in September. Ashley Whittaker has said:
“This is a whole Island approach. I know there have been discussions about this and particular schools in the past but we are starting with a blank sheet of paper.0 “This piece of work is just one element of the wider work we need to do to drive up outcomes and the quality of education on the Island.” “This is going to be a difficult process. There is significant uncertainty about it and if we didn’t have to go through this I think we would all choose that but it is in the best interests of children and young people and their families longterm on the Island to do this. “We are confident at the end of this we will have an education system which is fit for purpose for the Island in the future and children now.”
So you allow more houses to be built for families who will produce more kids, and you decide that schools will need to close, Outlaw by name and Outlaw by nature, what a stupidly absurd decision. Where is all OUR money going, oh yes of course “off island” obviously.
Ukraine…..
Councillor Outlaw doesn’t even live on the Isle of Wight.
So why should he have say?
So long as we can avoid taking in those who rarely leave a womb empty, even if it is unwilling to be filled, then perhaps this will save us a lot of money over time, as most children are born to those who take the most out of society now.
With AI, home learning for primary school teaching will soon make such places redundant anyway .
A changing world, lets enjoy the saving on our council tax bill.
IWCC, one of the most incompetant councils in the UK.
Not one of the most just the most.
Why are there so many empty places now? What’s changed?
Err less children obviously you idiot!
Fewer children you idiot!
Sorry to burst your bubble but no one uses “fewer” any more, especially mathematicians like me (<).
The Cambridge Guide to English Usage notes that the “pressure to substitute fewer for less seems to have developed out of all proportion to the ambiguity it may provide in noun phrases like less promising results”. It describes conformance with this pressure as a shibboleth and the choice “between the more formal fewer and the more spontaneous less” as a stylistic choice.”
Not just less children. They built a number of new schools with significant excess places, expecting a influx which hasn’t come (yet!). Now they want to stuff everyone in the largest schools and get rid of the smaller ones. Doesn’t matter whether the large ones are better than the small ones.
*by September 2027 there will be nearly 400 empty places in primary schools across the Island — equating to 30% of all places or 11 empty primary school classes…
Reply: No-One Can Tell The Future Places Needed in 2027 and YOU HAVE FAILED US, AGAIN!!
The Education System is A SHAM!!
How does 400 empty places equate to 8 schools (let alone 15).? Maths seems a bit dodge.
What do you mean “no-one can tell the future places needed”? Predicting short-term school demand is very straightforward
A mockery of a travesty of a sham!
Clearly it is easy to predict places needed based on the birth rate trend, which is in freefall.
Could the vaccines be controlling birth control!,
less births and Schools won’t be needed.
No they are not, simple!
Stop writing utter drivel.
Stop it! Just stop it! You will get no thanks for trying to take off their blinkers and help them have an open mind.so stop it! Just sit back and watch the horror show.lol
however, they are on the other hand, approving house builds everywhere – guess one hand doesn’t talk to the other.
As far as I am aware hands don’t speak, except for sooty and sweep, and no one knows what they are saying.
Exactly! All this free for all planning that appears to be going on, I think the Council is mismanaging everything, they are determined to make us bankrupt like Birmingham Council, & selling all our assets.
Come on you single benefits claiming mums time for a night out in Newport, the future of our primary schools are dependent on you to keep them going.
Close them all because they are the worst schools in the country.
Remarkably accurate!
The introduction of VAT on private school fees has been on the Labour Party’s agenda since they published their 2019 manifesto. If they come to power at the general election later this year, it is very likely they will introduce the 20 per cent tax.
Vote Labour everyone. If VAT is introduced for private school fees, it would be chargeable for all students, meaning more places will be required in state and academy run schools.
@Selwyn poor leadership = poor school.
very incompetent council = very poorly performing schools
@Trainee Reporter Bond
Poor performing leadership = poor performing schools
Nothing to do with the teachers, right…?
“15 PRIMARY SCHOOLS ‘NEED TO CLOSE’ OVER THE NEXT 3 YEARS SAYS COUNCILLOR”
“figures reveal by September 2027 there will be … 11 empty primary school classes”.
methinks the councillor needs to goback to school & re-sit maths…
if there are goign to be the equivilent to 11 empty classes,.
and each primary school cannot have less than 1 class
How tf can 15 primary schools need to close??
Due to differences in class sizes. Some of these schools have very low numbers.
Shut them down save money then flog the sites to Aldi this is what we need more of.