Controversial proposals which could have led to the closure of 4 Isle of Wight primary schools have been pulled in a massive Council U-turn.
Following backlash and a petition to save St Mary’s Primary in Ryde, the Isle of Wight Council has announced it is rethinking its efforts to address surplus school places on the Island.
Last week, the authority revealed it would look to consult on the closure of 3 primary schools — Cowes, St Mary’s Roman Catholic and Wroxall. It was also looking to amalgamate Chillerton and Rookley Primary School with its sister facility, Godshill, from 1st January 2024 — effectively closing another rural primary school.
Councillor Debbie Andre, the council’s cabinet member for children’s education, has confirmed the proposals are being withdrawn from the executive meeting next week. The matter was due to be heard on 8th June.
She said:
“We have listened closely to all comments and representations and feel a different approach is necessary in view of the strength of our local communities.”
A fuller statement would be issued at a later date.
The authority says there are more than 200 extra primary school places on the Island, amid a significant fall in reception pupils, a declining birth rate and challenges to teacher recruitment and retention. There are 39 primary schools on the Island but it said the reality is there are too many for the number of pupils.
School leaders on the Island have previously warned the authority that keeping too many schools open would risk condemning pupils to a mediocre education, as funding is stretched further.
The council said it was listening to those headteachers and school governors when proposing the difficult decisions but stressed none had been made yet.
Since announcing its plan, the Isle of Wight Council has been criticised with local union representatives saying it had come as a shock to staff, pupils and families and that a full consultation process must be undertaken.
The primary schools facing closure sought to reassure parents in newsletters that no decision had been made and it would be business as usual, providing the children’s education.
What a terrible decision. If JoeBob was in charge the council would have stuck to their guns, despite whatever public opinion says! There’s no money to be made in state funded schools. They should all be privatised and turned into education factories, run by a well paid boards of directors.
The untouchables in the ivory tower will have their way in the end. Now is not a time to celebrate, but a time to dig your defenses deep for the coming battle.
Perhaps IF the parents who choose to have children never received so much in ‘tax credits’ or now, universal credit, which then also means they pay little or nothing in rent or council tax, and such ‘means tested benefits’ then provides a ‘gate way’ to claim extra food and fuel aid, free gym membership , free school meals, free school transport, free school uniforms, THEN they could afford to keep schools open.
As it is those who breed what ‘they’ can’t afford to keep, force others to fund THEIR choice and the parents lazy easy well paid lifestyle.
Unpopular BUT TRUE and they know it.
So don’t just look at their good income, but at what they DON’T have to spend which others do too.
Did you even go to school?
Judging by the gibberish they are spouting, it wasn’t a very good one if they did.
Good to see untrammelled bigotry still alive and well on IoW.
Stop spreading ridiculous lies.
Schools get extra funding for kids who qualify for free school meals from central Government. (pupil premium).
It doesn’t matter if you put lies in capital letters, they are still lies.
Actually quite accurate.
Benefits are the source of all problems. I think we all know at least two people who
work part time but do not want extra hours as it will affect their benefits.
Anybody turning down extra hours should have their benefits stopped completly..
Thirty years ago if you were short of money you got of your butt and got a part time job in the evening there was no hand out. Stop the mummy state.
As I initially said, people who KNOW I am speaking the truth don’t like it told
The prefer to ‘play’ the victim to keep the sympathy and benefits coming in.
Many also ‘pretend’ to be ‘single’ parents to up the income, and yet never sleep alone.
Also they get free dental care and prescriptions too for the entire family.
Yet with that, working sixteen hours, they STILL whinge.
They are the drain on society, having kids but getting others to fund not only the clone but their lazy lifestyle too.
Many also work cash in hand.
Won’t hear it on the BBC but all true.
Your talking utter crap and you need to seriously get a life and maybe educate yourself while you’re at it.
The world’s gone mad! If there’s a declining birth rate and fewer pupils, common sense would say teacher recruitment shouldn’t be a problem! Surely smaller classes means better education. That’s why private schools are so sought-after. Oh yeah, I forgot, those at the top don’t want better education for the masses, do they?
You only have to look at the gibberish posted by ill-educated people like “One Handed” to see the truth in that.
Superb comment
This mob are just trying to win votes and hang in there for another term. Schools have to close if there are too many places. That is obvious. I am not happy paying council tax for it to be wasted on empty school places. Over £800k per year is being wasted. The council are morons.
It’s their own fault. They built new schools with too many places. Poor planning.
It was more to do with the messed up move to a 2 tier system instigated by Boy Blunder Pugh.
Debbie Andre should resign. This announcement of earmarking the closure of St Mary’s last week by the press was farcical. It hit the press before staff nor parents knew of it.
We picked Cowes Primary and are so thankful to have place in this school. I hope it stays open, because it’s a brilliant school and there are around 30 pupils in every year. Closing it would cause a lot of problems and stress for all the children and parents.