Cowes Primary School, which has educated children in the local community for over 117 years, closed its gates for the last time yesterday (Thursday).
It was in March 2025 that the Isle of Wight Council decided to close the school following a controversial school closure consultation process.
The school was founded in 1907 and was situated at Denmark Road until 1990 when it was relocated to the current site on Edinburgh Close.
Headteacher, Stephanie Praetig has said:
“While there is immense sadness in closing the school gates for the final time, there is also incredible pride in everything our school community has achieved. I want to say one final huge thank you to the staff, Governors, volunteers, families and of course the children. I wish you all the very best in the future.”
Ofsted assessed the school as Good in its most recent report in 2020 and educational attainment has further improved in recent years. In March 2025, the Cabinet of the Isle of Wight Council decided to close the school despite a recommendation from the Council’s own Corporate Scrutiny Committee that the closure should not go ahead.
The school’s final set of SATs results released in July 2025 were improved on the prior year despite the extremely challenging circumstances surrounding the school closure. In the SATs results for Key Stage 2, the proportion of children at the school working at Greater Depth in reading was 60% which was significantly improved on last year and more than double the national average. The combined score for achieving the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths was 73%, again significantly higher than the national average and up on the previous year. In addition, an unbeatable 100% of the children in Early Years achieved a Good Level of Development.
Sue Cox, Chair of Governors, Cowes Primary School, has said:
“We are incredibly proud of the staff of the school whose resilience, care and drive has led to educational results improving even at a time when the school was under threat of closure and while their own continued employment has been at risk. Many leaders would be content with maintaining standards during such a challenging period – it is a testament to Stephanie Praetig and her whole team that educational attainment has continued to improve throughout this period.”
The teachers at Cowes have helped the children to prepare for the change of schools and have met with teachers at other local schools to help ensure as smooth a transition as possible.
In the school’s final months, staff and children have taken time to celebrate the history, traditions and achievements of the school. Events in the summer term have included the annual horticultural show, a farewell BBQ for the children and staff and a very emotional final all-school assembly on the last day of term.
In the school’s final newsletter, the Governors thanked staff and volunteers past and present, recognising in particular the professionalism and dedication shown during the challenges and uncertainties of the school closure process.
The Governors also included a final message for the children:
“Whether you are leaving us in reception or in year 6, your journey in education will continue for some time to come. We hope that many years from now, you will go on to do great things for the Island, for this country and for the World beyond and when you do, we hope that you look back on your time at Cowes Primary School and feel that in some small way we helped you get there.”
The buildings and grounds could easily be converted into multi occupant wards to house the elderly that are bed blocking the hospital. Won’t happen, that’s too much forward thinking.