We always welcome a Letter to the Editor to share with our readers – unsurprisingly they don’t always reflect the views of this publication. If you have something you’d like to share, get in touch and of course, your considered comments are welcome below.
Richard Steele, Chair of the West and Central Wight branch Labour Party, shares this letter. Ed
We are now in receipt of the second consultation regarding West Wight School places. This report is compiled by the same people who produced the first, in our view, flawed consultation and, it would appear that the “men and women in suits” from Hampshire have learnt little. The report remains flawed and obscure, lacking in detail and transparency.
The Labour Party is opposed to all school closures and job losses. The Department for Education stands against the closure of any rural school It is difficult to understand why, with the proposed increase in housing stock, the council is projecting falling rolls in the coming years. It seems foolish and premature to close any school while the Island Plan is on the table.
Wait for Island Plan to be implemented
If the site at Yarmouth is closed, what will it be used for? More high-priced homes, which could easily become second homes, which the West Wight does not need at all?
It would be far better to retain all school places for the time being until we see how the Island Plan is implemented.
Keep children at All Saints’ during works
We repeat our argument, shown in our previous response, that, given the very large site at Freshwater, it should be possible to put the temporary accommodation which will be required for the All Saints’ children on their own site during the works and still have play area.
This would avoid cutting down the already limited play area at the Yarmouth site and disrupting the smooth running of the Yarmouth school. It would also eliminate the need to bus small children to Yarmouth.
No school closure required
This would also give time to see whether these projected falling rolls are a reality or whether the projections change in light of the Island Plan.
Furthermore, no school would have to close if this were to happen. But it seems that this Council is in a totally unnecessary rush to close something.
Significant disruption to pupils and staff
The experts at the National Education Union have made the very valid point about the closing of a school mid-year causing significant disruption to pupils and staff, especially those pupils with special educational needs.
Again why the rush, what are they concealing? No costing has been produced, no plans of the proposed new or temporary buildings have been produced. Transparency is totally lacking.
No rush to do anything
Naturally we welcome the acknowledgement that there must be a school at Freshwater, given that it is the largest village on the Island and that the population here is likely to provide rising rather than falling rolls.
There is no rush to do anything, greater investigation of the sites and the consequences of any action should be undertaken
