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This open letter to councillors from Nigel Phillips, Save our School, Chairman of Chillerton and Gatcombe Parish Council. Ed
Open letter to all Isle of Wight councillors, 20th May 2021
In the period since the proposal to amalgamate Chillerton and Rookley Primary School was first proposed you, or your group or party, indicated opposition to it. We are grateful for your support.
Now that the election is over and the new council is settling in, we would like the opportunity to discuss with councillors and officers our proposal for the future.
Our proposal
Our proposal is designed to address the following issues:
- Retention of the school in Chillerton on a sound financial basis for the future.
- Enhancing the educational experience of children in the Chillerton and Rookley area and in other areas of the Island by making an offering unique on the Isle of Wight.
- Responding to the high level of home education on the Island by creating the opportunity for flexi schooling.
Attempt to force closure
We understand that there will be an attempt to force the school to close over the summer. We have been informed by Richard Vaughan, the Assistant Head of Strategic Development at Hampshire County Council, that there will be four weeks of consultation. The Department of Education’s Guidance on closing rural schools requires six weeks of statutory consultation (not informal) prior to a decision and four weeks of representations after it.
In my view this is a manifest attempt to force a closure in defiance of the procedures established by Government to protect rural schools. We ask you to oppose this move in Council by whatever means are available to you.
Governance
Our MP, Bob Seely, and the new Leader of the Conservative Group, Cllr Steve Hastings, have both expressed concern over the poor management of Chillerton and Rookley Primary School by the Stenbury Federation over the last seven years.
Similar concerns have been expressed by councillors Debbie Andre, Jonathan Bacon, Karl Love and Geoff Brodie as well as the Liberal Democrat, Labour and Green parties on the Island. The local community has now completely lost confidence in the Federation to act in the best interests of the school. This is not helped by there being little or no representation from Chillerton and Rookley Primary School on the Federation Board.
Defederate the school
We believe that the best way forward is for the council to assist in defederating the school from the Stenbury Federation and appoint an interim Governing Body. This body can then act solely in the interests of the Chillerton and Rookley Primary School.
One of its first duties will be to select and appoint a new Head Teacher willing to implement a flexi schooling strategy.
Deficit
Much has been made of the current deficit of about £100,000. We are disturbed that tens of thousands of pounds have been spent on pre-emptively dismissing staff and paying a legal consultancy company.
Considering the unfortunate outcome of the process so far, we could generously suppose that the Federation has not received value for money. In any event we would suggest that it is unreasonable for Chillerton and Rookley Primary School to be saddled with a debt incurred in this way and ask that it not be carried forward to any new governing body.
Flexi Schooling
As you may know flexi schooling is an approach that brings into school families who are currently, or considering, home educating their children as well as offering an alternative to those currently in full time education. The families make an agreement with the school engaging to bring their children into school for at least three days per week. In return the school provides support and advice to the families. Full government funding is given for all such pupils.
The approach has been applied to schools in a similar position to Chillerton and Rookley, notably Michaelchurch Escley Primary School in Herefordshire, with great success.
Home education
The number of families home educating their children on the Island is very high for our population, and many of them are not registered. This will be a way of providing an alternative for them and alleviate concerns that their needs are not being adequately catered for.
Our contacts with home educating families have revealed an enthusiasm for a school providing for their needs in this way. It would only take a very small proportion of the nearly five hundred registered home educating families on the Island, let alone the hundreds more who are not registered, to take up this option to make Chillerton and Rookley Primary School perfectly viable. The school would of course continue to provide an excellent rural education for pupils attending full time.
The Next Step
- Despite being fully aware that the school cannot be closed in September neither the Stenbury Federation nor Council officers are taking any steps to inform local parents of this. Delay will inevitably mean that local parents will make other arrangements for their children. It is imperative that this information is disseminated now before we are once again disingenuously told that no parents have chosen this school. They won’t if they are not told it is open.
- The school must be defederated from the Stenbury Federation and an interim governing body established.
- The Isle of Wight Council must commit to keeping the school open until the new approach described above can be established.
I trust that given your previous support for keeping this school open we can now count on your help both to oppose any move to force the closure of the school over the summer and to get us into discussion with councillors and officers to achieve these steps.
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