CHILLERTON AND ROOKLEY PRIMARY HAS ‘DIED IN A WHIMPER’ SAYS HEADTEACHER

Chillerton & Rookley Primary School has ‘died in a whimper’ according to its last-ever headteacher, in comments slamming the handling of its closure. Mark Snow has blamed ‘indecisions and gamesmanship’ for preventing the community from celebrating the school and being able to ‘say goodbye properly’ and he called the primary ‘unviable’. This week, the Isle of Wight Council is preparing to make a final decision to close it, merging it with its sister school in Godshill. Chillerton and Rookley Primary has been on the brink of closure for nearly two years, with dwindling pupil numbers, a lack of teachers and increased financial pressures for The Stenbury Federation, which runs it. Currently, pupils enrolled there are taught at Godshill because there is no teacher. During a recent public consultation, Mr Snow said the federation had done all it could, in some challenging times amid “appalling political decision-making”. He said County Hall’s handling of too few pupils for too many primary school places was costly both economically and educationally and had “ultimately led to the very slow death of one of our oldest schools”. Mr Snow said staff and governors had managed the situation with dignity and skill while “negotiating a political farce”, working with a professionalism that local politicians should take note of and replicate. He is now calling on the council to do “what is right for the children of the Island” and to close the school. Other headteachers and governors have also been supportive of the merger, saying while it would be sad to see a school close, the move is long overdue and it would lessen the burden on other schools. During the consultation, one headteacher said keeping a school open for a handful of pupils is ‘hugely expensive,’ adding the money saved could be redistributed, so larger schools can have more resources. The school building is now being used by the council’s primary behavioural support service.