Concerns have been raised that saving a rural Isle of Wight primary school could be at the cost of every child’s education on the Island.
The Isle of Wight Council announced this week that Chillerton and Rookley Primary School will now remain open as a sustainable, financial model for delivery of high-quality education in smaller, rural schools.
Speaking at the corporate scrutiny committee on Tuesday, Councillor Debbie Andre, cabinet member for children’s education, said she regretted the time it has taken to come to the decision but the cabinet needed to be sure they had looked at every possibility. She said:
“This is about children, their education and getting it right. We were not prepared to rush into a decision.”
Councillor Joe Robertson questioned whether Cllr Andre accepted the indecision led to pupil numbers at Chillerton and Rookley falling from 34 to 15. Cllr Andre said she accepted uncertainty around the future of a school would inevitably affect parents’ choice but it was imperative they took the necessary time to make the right decision. She was confident the model existed for smaller rural schools and was working up options.
Councillor Chris Quirk, a member of the scrutiny committee, said he was sceptical the cabinet could maintain the number of schools without cutting the budget per pupil across the board. His concerns were echoed by other members of the committee, who felt keeping the school open could be to the detriment of every child’s education on the Island as funding would be cut and spread ore thinly.
Cllr Andre however, assured the committee they were looking at this as a whole Island approach.
Councillor Richard Quigley, chair, said following debate, while it was good news for quite a few families and children, there was not necessarily good news coming further down the line so they needed to be mindful of how they approach this.
How, since doing away with 3 tiers and enlarging schools this has been to detrement to high numbers of students as schools unable to teach children that don’t fit in a box resulting in high home tuition, high referral to Pupil referral unit, lack of SEN support. Kid’s on school busses at younger age being exposed to bullying from higher year’s and anti- social behaviour. Sure most parents stress at unable to park anywhere near Primary schools and have to drag little ones to go pick up brothers and sisters etc. More small schools is whats needed.
No problem with all the proposed housing being built …
We will need another school built !!!!!
Ha Ha.
You think the people buying these houses are going to need schools?
They are mostly people retiring from the mainland and 2nd homers.
Doctors and hospitals, certainly, but not schools.
The new builds that are currently going up and are local to this primary school are designed for families. They are not typical of second or retirement homes in this instance, so I don’t think that is a concern. These new homes and families will need a school. It would be extremely short-sighted to close the school considering the Island Plan and the constant push for more housing…140 already planned/being built for that particular area…
Scrutiny is like Dragon’s Den in reverse isn’t it.
We are making this commercial investment, we don’t yet have a sustainable model, but trust us we have a whole Island plan to reverse urbanisation.
Whilst it is true that the cost will effect the sum of money available for all other pupils elsewhere, so to does the ridiculous granting of choice of schools to disturbed or low expectation children.
If a parent wishes such handicapped children to attend normal schools fine but they should pay the full cost themselves for any extra staff or alterations which have to be made for one tbh likely nere do well child
The schools only welcome such as they gain extra funding. But that reduces the amount available for those with better aspirations.
What a delightful person you are Jules. Why not just ship them all off to special camps so they are out of sight and out of mind, eh?
Then install some nice showers.
Why go OTT to try to demonise common sense?
Why should others have to have a lower standard of education both due to lack of funding and often because of enduring a disruptive through no fault of their own, odd behaviour mind child?
Better as it was keeping all such together. Less cost, trained staff, less bullying, only one school then needing costly alterations to cater for such and more importantly those children who are ok can learn with less disruptive syndrome pupils who can’t be chastised as they can’t help it
Hardly the gas chambers
I don’t think you know what you are talking about.
You are mixing bad and ill-mannered disruptive behaviour (which is more to do with parenting) with learning disability which is not right.
In my experience having a child/children with a learning disability in a mainstream school can be beneficial for the whole class since there are extra teaching resources which can benefit other children. Most classes have children which struggle and need extra help, and there is often help on hand.
wrong ryde off- the teacher has their time disproportionately spent on a kid with a learning disability at the expense of those that are excelling – I know from personal experience – I excelled in classes, however, I sat there bored and ignored by the teacher, because they were spending all their time with the SEN kids- where is the equality of education in this setting – the intelligent children are neglected and ignored to focus on those that aren’t – I was held back in classes because of them – they were not beneficial to me.
Because it’s all about you, isn’t it? Maybe mummy and daddy should have sent you somewhere where you could mix with similar people.
that is just the point cal orific – it wasn’t – the SEN kids got all the focus, whereas those of us that were at the other end of the scale were ignored – clearly you didn’t read the message. I seem to recall having to sit there, having completed all my work, twiddling my thumbs, bored stupid, because I was told I couldn’t move on to the next level, as the others had to be dragged up with extra special focus first. I was also told that I should have been in the classes a couple of years ahead of me, but because I would then be with other kids, two years older, I wasn’t allowed to, as I would have finished school at 14.
This is the result of some hand wringing do gooders social engineering project – all included, unless you are smart and intelligent.
SEN should have stayed in their own schools with their own teachers, so that they could flourish at their own pace and I could flourish at my own pace, which was significantly faster.
don’t agree. at any primary school you’ll have kids with different abilities (regardless of SEN), which the teacher has to juggle. i’m sure kids that excel (like you!) can easily be given extra work or are so bright they can teach themselves. there’s always been plenty of books!
also segregation is not healthy, school is a community.
Because, at some stage in their lives, “odd behaviour mind ” children will have to integrate into society, and society will have to integrate with them.
Handicapped children are, first and foremost, children and handicapped people are, first and foremost, people.
The problem is this and every other council they have too many over paid under educated people trying to make a name for them self’s sponging off the working people. Half the amount of cllrs and things will get done a lot faster.
Why are horribly enlightened councillors so keen to destroy the fabric of the island? each time a new set of stuffed animals is sworn in they set about changing everything as to stamp their ‘I did that’ legacy on things that were fine before the infamous meddle, we’ve had schools, the floating bridge, traffic lights, smallbrook, Ryde seafront.blah blah, ffs..once its gone its gone, wish we could do the same with these anti social vandels..just leave it be.
His concerns were echoed by other members of the committee, who felt keeping the school open could be to the detriment of every child’s education on the Island as funding would be cut and spread ore thinly.
……..
perhaps if they didn’t spend a million pounds a year of our money on taxi’s for SEN kids and made the parents pay for their school travel, then there would be more available.
What?
You mean expect the parent receiving free handouts and mobility allowance to pay for their choice of having a child, yet it not being as expected but still insisting it attends normal schools?
How dare you.
They are used to having cake and eating it too.
Schools back this as the get extra funding yet a nightmare for teachers and other pupils.
Like all sensitive subjects rational views are dissed by those gaining by using the ‘so offended’ card now.
yes -shocking isn’t it – how dare we complain about having more of the money we earnt for ourselves, through our labour, taken from us against our will, just so it can be handed to every sob story and sad entitled case going.
Isle of wighter, I agree, although not their fault, many are just costly liabilities for society for life. The parents are better off with adapted homes and new cars and extra cash all ring fenced to fund these unfortunates, who will still be a drain long after the parents have expired in many cases.
So whilst they ought to be looked after comfortably, they should not be living a better life than many so called non disadvantaged children families, as it is they who fund those who only will ever take from the pot.
Not so long ago, IF you had a disabled child you were worse off, now everything is given so much so that many will live better than those who have self funded their place in life.
Seems to have gone too far the other way. Of course those receiving such will never admit it, but most of us know the ‘squeakiest wheel gets the most oil’.
It is true that finance will never make up for missing out on normality, so, why lavish such with ever more, then they give choice of schooling to those who have accidently burdened society with costly needed children to the detriment of normal and bright children. Needs reigning in now, cut backs should effect all.
Iow’er
The cost is usually for life, long after the parents have expired and whilst the odd few make it, for most just a huge amount of money thrown away, whilst other students who would have amounted to higher levels and would have payed into society now have struggle for help.
Agree with j.s, trim the funding to a basic level and get parents to make up the difference IF they insist on having normality treatment for someone who isn’t, OR don’t accept all the extra handouts and perks as well.
Seems fair to me.