The Bishop of Portsmouth has pledged to appeal against the proposed closure of three Church of England schools on the Isle of Wight.
The Rt Rev Jonathan Frost today (6th December) expressed his concerns about the consultation process carried out by the Isle of Wight Council and warned that families will suffer if schools are closed as planned.
He urged councillors to vote against proposals to close Oakfield C of E Primary in Ryde, Brading C of E Primary and Arreton St George’s C of E Primary, when those plans come to the council’s cabinet meeting next week (12th December). Officers have recommended closure of 6 schools, despite a plethora of objections during the initial consultation process during the autumn.
If those councillors vote in favour of closure, the Diocese of Portsmouth can take the matter to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator, which has the final say.
Bishop Jonathan said:
“I know the Isle of Wight Council has approached this process with the right motivation, but I do have concerns about this process.
“Headteachers and Chairs of Governors across the Island knew the financial challenges posed by the number of surplus places and were willing to collaborate on reducing places at a range of schools. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Instead, 6 specific schools were named, but there was a lack of clarity about why those 6 had been chosen.
“One factor cited in their brochure was academic performance. But the government guidance is very clear that there are other ways to deal with standards, rather than closing the school.
Article continues below this advertisement “3 of the 6 schools were Church of England schools. Closing them would leave many parents without a church school as a viable option. As I’ve said before, C of E schools aren’t there to force religion onto people, but are there to serve their local communities, offering something vital and distinctive that could now be lost.
“The council has now also acknowledged that it shouldn’t have outlined potential future uses for school sites that it doesn’t own.
“So, I am profoundly concerned about these proposals. If councillors vote in favour of these closures, we are likely to refer this to the independent adjudicator.
“In addition to questions I have about process, I believe these proposals are potentially devastating for families and for the flourishing of communities in which the schools are a vital hub.
“The families that will struggle most are those who are the poorest and lack the wealth or transport to get their children to other schools.
“I’d urge councillors to reject these proposals, and to accept the offer my director of education has already made – to engage in a solution-focused meeting of all island headteachers, so that a fairer, transparent, criteria-based, longer term and secure solution may be reached.
“We will work with the local authority and all the island schools to find a way to address the question of surplus places and SEN provision in a more creative and more compassionate way.”
The Diocese of Portsmouth’s Director of Education, Jeff Williams, who met the headteachers and chairs of governors of the three C of E schools earmarked for closure yesterday (5th December), said:
“I know that our headteachers and governors remain concerned about the lack of transparency in some aspects of the process. A deeper worry is that unclear and inconsistent criteria are being used by officials to guide councillors in their decision making.
“However, the failure of the process is actually secondary to the crushing consequences of closure for families and communities in the areas affected.
“Families in Ryde, many of whom lack the wealth or transport to drive their children elsewhere, will be walking two miles to school each day. They’ll lose the school that has become the focus of that community, providing meals for hungry families, green space to play in, and a safe space during school holidays.
“Children with complex needs who have settled into specialist provision in Brading will be wrenched away from the people and places they are comfortable with. Cars will criss-cross the south of the island as children are ferried away from the villages where they live.”
For more details about why each of the three Church of England schools should remain open, see: www.portsmouth.anglican.org/IWschools.
Shame the Bishop didn’t speak up for the
Pensioners who had their winter fuel allowance
taken away from them.
Sadly many will die this winter.
Obviously more concerned about children than
the persons who over the years have gone to
church, unlike the children of today who don’t
go to church.
We live in strange times.
Amen
I have children at brading a brilliant school and a great church that the children visit regularly so your talking rubbish! Old people have had all their lives to save for heating when they are old so yes children should come first
If it was not for the elderly, the youngsters wouldn’t be
here today.
Let’s never forget those who fought in the War
for our futures and our childrens futures.
Sacrifices need to be made due to 14 years of
Tory rule, hence schools having to close.
Everyone at present is taking it on the chin,
well that is what The Labour Party are telling
us.
Oh come on there is barely anyone alive today who actually held a rifle in the war and the government are undoing everything they fought for anyway there are plenty of things that should go from this country before our children’s schools!!!
There are many families since the pandemic
who are home schooling, one day with modern
technology schools won’t be needed.
Zoom classes from home is the future.
Perhaps the Bishop would like to put his hand in his pocket to keep open the schools who do not have sufficient numbers to justify their continued existence. More nonsense from a church which has been so badly led in recent years that it is now largely irrelevant.