The latest attempt to close a rural Isle of Wight primary school has been lodged — for what could be the final time.
After a turbulent couple of months in the Isle of Wight Council’s education department, the future of Chillerton and Rookley Primary School could be decided once and for all, as senior leaders look poised to close it.
The school’s future has been debated since 2021 after its operational body, The Stenbury Federation, wrote to the Council requesting the school be amalgamated with its sister school in Godshill, due to funding challenges.
Over the years, the school has now accumulated a deficit of more than £74,000 — equivalent to 1/3 of the school’s annual budget. It has been a rollercoaster of emotions for all those involved as over the years decisions were put forward, deferred or revoked while options for the school were considered.
Now though, the Isle of Wight Council has reached the same conclusion that amalgamating the 2 schools, through the closure of Chillerton and Rookley, would be the way forward. The matter was due to be discussed on Tuesday (11th July) by the Council’s corporate scrutiny committee before the final decision is made tonight (Thursday) by the Council’s cabinet.
If it were to be approved, the school would close on 31st December.
Currently, there are 9 pupils enrolled at the school but trouble recruiting a teacher has meant they have been educated in Godshill since January.
The school can take 91 pupils, and in September 2017 was teaching 85 children but the numbers have dropped drastically — with only 2 of the pupils living in Chillerton and 3 in Rookley.
A public meeting was due to be held on Tuesday (11th July) at the Medina Theatre to discuss school place planning and the issues the Council is facing.
Representations have been made from Island headteachers and school governors asking the Council to deal with the issue of school place planning but no definitive answer has yet been devised.
Speaking at a meeting in June, 1 school governor said it had been almost a year since the matter was 1st raised meaning it had been another year to which the surplus places had been to the detriment of children’s education.
This council is a disgrace. They want to close a school because of a £74 000 deficit over a number of years yet at the same time give over £4 million to Southern Vectis because passenger levels haven’t returned to pre covid levels. Time for these councillors to be called to account over their total incompetence.
You are comparing apples with pears. Ridiculous.
It all comes out of council budgets and Southern Vectis are not even an Island Company so what next subsidies for GKN,BAE and Royal Mail
Schools are funded by the Government based on the number of students.
The two issues here are Government cuts and the Islands falling birthrate.
But don’t let little things like facts put you off a good old fashioned rant.
The council want to close a school that no one is attending because they are educated elsewhere. No brainer.
Only because they were moved to other schools
All nine of them! You might be happy wasting more council tax keeping an empty school open but most people are not.