The Bishop of Portsmouth has pledged to appeal against the proposed closure of three Church of England schools on the Isle of Wight.
The Rt Rev Jonathan Frost today (6th December) expressed his concerns about the consultation process carried out by the Isle of Wight Council – and warned that families will suffer if schools are closed as planned.
He urged councillors to vote against proposals to close Oakfield CofE Primary in Ryde, Brading CofE Primary and Arreton St George’s CofE Primary, when those plans come to the council’s cabinet meeting next week (12th December). Officers have recommended closure of six schools, despite a plethora of objections during the initial consultation process during the autumn.
If those councillors vote in favour of closure, the Diocese of Portsmouth can take the matter to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator, which has the final say.
Frost: I do have concerns about this process
Bishop Jonathan said,
“I know the Isle of Wight council has approached this process with the right motivation, but I do have concerns about this process.
“Headteachers and chairs of governors across the island knew the financial challenges posed by the number of surplus places and were willing to collaborate on reducing places at a range of schools. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Instead six specific schools were named, but there was a lack of clarity about why those six had been chosen.
“One factor cited in their brochure was academic performance. But the government guidance is very clear that there are other ways to deal with standards, rather than closing the school.
“Three of the six schools were Church of England schools. Closing them would leave many parents without a church school as a viable option. As I’ve said before, C of E schools aren’t there to force religion onto people, but are there to serve their local communities, offering something vital and distinctive that could now be lost.
“The council has now also acknowledged that it shouldn’t have outlined potential future uses for school sites that it doesn’t own.
“So I am profoundly concerned about these proposals. If councillors vote in favour of these closures, we are likely to refer this to the independent adjudicator.
“In addition to questions I have about process, I believe these proposals are potentially devastating for families and for the flourishing of communities in which the schools are a vital hub. The families that will struggle most are those who are the poorest and lack the wealth or transport to get their children to other schools.
“I’d urge councillors to reject these proposals, and to accept the offer my director of education has already made – to engage in a solution-focused meeting of all island headteachers, so that a fairer, transparent, criteria-based, longer term and secure solution may be reached. We will work with the local authority and all the island schools to find a way to address the question of surplus places and SEN provision in a more creative and more compassionate way.”
Williams: Unclear and inconsistent criteria are being used
The Diocese of Portsmouth’s director of education, Jeff Williams, who met the headteachers and chairs of governors of the three C of E schools earmarked for closure yesterday (5th December), added,
“I know that our headteachers and governors remain concerned about the lack of transparency in some aspects of the process.
“A deeper worry is that unclear and inconsistent criteria are being used by officials to guide councillors in their decision making.
“However, the failure of the process is actually secondary to the crushing consequences of closure for families and communities in the areas affected.
“Families in Ryde, many of whom lack the wealth or transport to drive their children elsewhere, will be walking two miles to school each day. They’ll lose the school that has become the focus of that community, providing meals for hungry families, green space to play in, and a safe space during school holidays.
“Children with complex needs who have settled into specialist provision in Brading will be wrenched away from the people and places they are comfortable with. Cars will criss-cross the south of the island as children are ferried away from the villages where they live.”
For more details about why each of the three Church of England schools should remain open, visit the website.
News shared by Neil on behalf of the Diocese of Portsmouth. Ed
