A delegated decision report has been issued by the isle of Wight council, setting out the fate for All Saints’ Primary School in Freshwater.
The recommendations
The recommendations, which the cabinet member, Paul Brading is expected to make a decision on in the next two weeks behind closed doors, read:
It is recommended that the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education and Skills approves a further four-week consultation period on the new alternative proposal;
- the closure of All Saints’ CE Primary on the 31 December 2019,
- the expansion of Yarmouth CE Primary School to a Published, Admission Number (PAN) of 30 from the 1 January 2020,
- Yarmouth CE Primary school permanently relocating to the All Saints’ site at a future date once building works are completed (estimated 2021)
It is also recommended that the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education and Skills welcomes any additional comments and feedback about the previous preferred option put forward in the original report, any of the alternative options detailed in that report and any of the other options submitted during the initial consultation period which are outlined in Appendix .
Lowthion: No child, no community in the West Wight can be left behind
Vix Lowthion, Freshwater Parish Councillor, Teacher, Education Spokesperson for Green Party, said,
“The IW Council had no choice but to listen to the many hundreds of Islanders who wrote, protested and attended meetings in the last three months. Today’s announcement is testament to the energy and determination of campaigners to keep a school in the village of Freshwater.
“But this is not time for a celebration.
“Whilst further consultation is welcome, we must be focused and keep the children at the heart of every decision that is made; we need minimum disruption and instability during these early years of learning. The practicalities of school closures and movements must be closely scrutinised.
“Our campaign now moves into the next phase! No child, no community in the West Wight can be left behind.”
Timetable of events
The timetable set out for the events reads:
- End-of-Consultation Report Published on IW Website Fri 3 May
- End-of-Consultation Report Decision by Cabinet Member Tues 14 May Subject to approval
- New Consultation Tuesday 14 May to Tuesday 11 June
- Meeting with All Saints’ CE Primary staff
- Meeting with Yarmouth CE Primary staff / governors
- Public Meeting at Yarmouth CE Primary week beginning 20 May
- Public Meeting / Drop-in at All Saints’ CE Primary week beginning 3 June
- End-of-Consultation Report Published on IW Website Fri 28 June
- End-of-Consultation Report Decision by Cllr Brading Mon 8 July / Cabinet 11 July
- If approved; progress to Public Notices, published Fri 12 July – 9 August
- Public Notice Outcome Report Published on IW Website Fri 30 August
- Final Decision by Cabinet Member Mon 9 September
- If agreed, closure of All Saints’ CE Primary – 31 December 2019
- If agreed, expansion of Yarmouth CE Primary to 1 form entry from 01 January 2020
- If agreed, relocation of Yarmouth CE Primary to All Saints’ site at future date once building works complete
Read the full report below. Click on full screen icon to see larger version.
Article edit
16.45: Comment from Cllr Lowthion added
