Standards-Not-Tiers Press Release
A Betrayal of Island Hopes for Small Schools.
SNT has today expressed dismay at last night’s decision by the Isle of Wight Council’s Conservative Cabinet, to close 19 Island schools and move forward with plans to create bigger primary schools and continue with secondary schools that already have some of the largest GCSE year groups in England.
Previously, SNT had urged the Isle of Wight Council to abandon its rigid single age teaching policy and look at federated structures and the merits of small schools as the way forward under the new plan. The group feels that the council are not interested in considering these ideas.
SNT understands that the Isle of Wight Council have turned down an invitation to attend a seminar next week to be held at the House of Commons by the National Association for Small Schools where presentations are to be made by some of the smallest and most successful schools in the UK. Standards-Not-Tiers, who will be attending the seminar, feel that this is an opportunity missed by the council, to learn more about how small schools can be highly successful.
Representatives of Shropshire and Hereford & Worcester Councils, who earlier this year bowed to public pressure and shelved plans to close small school in their areas, are attending the event.
SNT Chairman Chris Welsford said: “This council is not interested in small schools and as well as betraying many of their own supporters including serving conservative councillors and the wider electorate, their plans fly in the face of Conservative Party policy. The Conservatives’ 2005 election manifesto promise was clearly stated by then Conservative Leader Andy Sutton. He said “We shall keep the three-tier system and small village schools, which are such a big, important part of local communities” On March 19th 2008 when the council made the decision to get rid of the three tier system, Councillor Sutton had the nerve to tell Full Council that the administration were not breaking their manifesto promise because the actual closures would not happen until after the end of the current administration’s term. With such blatant trickery the Conservative Party on the Isle of Wight will never be trusted again”.
In November 2007 the Conservatives published a Green Paper on Education. It stated: ‘smaller schools and more intimate learning environments to be established to respond to parental demands”¦Parents need to feel that they have a stronger bond with their child’s education and the school community. We want to help every parent be actively involved with their child’s education, making it easier to work effectively with the school to provide the best opportunities’.
Debbie Hart, Campaign Coordinator for the group said: “The council’s plans will reduce parental involvement in their children’s education, not strengthen it. Involvement is strongest in Primary Schools and Middle Schools but reduces considerably when young people arrive at High School. Local schools where parents can walk their children to school and maintain close links with their children’s education are key to higher standards. It is a fact that children whose parents are interested and involved in their education do better at school. We need to be making it easier for parents to engage, not harder!”
For further information editors should contact Chris Welsford, Chairman – Standards-Not-Tiers
07854 744 062 or (01983) 853 600
