The Isle of Wight has ‘too many’ primary schools and there will need to be closures, the chair of the new children’s services, education and skills committee has warned.
Conservative deputy group leader, Councillor Paul Brading, has described the Island’s falling birth rate and pupil numbers as having a ‘massive impact’ on school finances.
His comments come after County Hall transitioned to a new committee governance model, replacing its former cabinet system.
The children’s services, education and skills committee holds responsibility for issues such as school standards and improvement, school place planning and admissions, SEND provision and child and adolescent mental health services.
Cllr Brading said:
“We have got too many primary schools on the Island – I started to address the issue in the West Wight in my previous (education) cabinet position where we looked at the schools in the West Wight and we managed to reduce them from five to four and all those schools are now sustainable.
“The falling birth rate and falling pupil numbers have a massive impact on the finances of schools and when schools are under financial pressure, they’re having to make some really serious financial decisions, restructuring exercises.
“All that uncertainty and change in my view is affecting the standards of education on the Island and that has to be addressed and corrected.
Article continues below this advertisement “Schools, really, have to close.”
The representative for Lake South served as the council’s cabinet member for children’s services, education and skills between 2017 and 2021. In the role, he oversaw the closure of the Yarmouth Primary site, merging the school with All Saints Primary in Freshwater.
He is also currently the vice-chair of governors at Broadlea Primary School, his old school.
Looking back at County Hall’s recent school closure plans, which provoked widespread controversy, Cllr Brading said there should have been ‘a lot more’ conversations with the Diocese of Portsmouth during the process’s ‘very early stage’ and with academies on the Island.
The councillor added he would make sure a renewed closures process is conducted in an ‘open, fair, transparent way’:
“If we do get to the stage of a (closures) recommendation, we’ll have done all the homework properly in advance – it won’t be rushed, it’ll be done thoroughly and properly.”
The children’s services, education and skills committee will next meet on 14th August.
