OnTheWight always welcomes 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.
This from Aviv Goode, Wroxall. Ed
The cold of January is a crisp reminder for all to realign their priorities- be it fitness and diet, clearing out the clutter in the cupboard of doom, booking future getaways, or making bigger decisions.
Some might be considering growing their family, moving to another home, or making tough “choices” around their children’s education.
Grappling with a mammoth task
While many of us are still enjoying defrosted Christmas turkey and slowing working through the less-desirable Quality Streets (nowadays they seem less Quality and more Street), parents of children attending Wroxall Primary School are grappling with a mammoth task- challenging the decision to close our much beloved school.
Many of us have had to take time away from our jobs and families to quickly skill-up and become experts in education, legislation, local politics and the sinister undercurrent of “The Real Agenda”. This is a process we have found to be flawed, unfair and wrought with cynicism.
The school is the heart of the village
For the community, the school is the heart of the village. The life and youth of our oft-forgotten home. Our humble main road-cum-community boasts a shop, one zebra crossing, a community hall, and the beating heart of our blissful rural place on earth — our school.
Many of us have moved to Wroxall to start a family. We did our best to achieve this during the stress of Covid, many of us attending antenatal appointments without our partners, labouring in a facemask and surviving the newborn trenches in complete isolation. We did it. Our kids did it. And now, some years later, back to normal, our tiny warriors in their school uniforms go skipping up the bridge to their beloved place of play, friendship, learning and community.
Facing school closure
Now we have been told that the school is to close, this because we have not done enough to produce more offspring. This, in a time where so many of us had to play financial catch up, learn to live with Long Covid, reshape our careers to adapt to the New Normal.
Our children are to attend “other schools made available”. Many parents have made enquiries and found that there is place for one of their children, but not the other. The answer is simple. Divide yourself into two to ensure your children are in class on time, or choose your favourite child to receive an education.
Shouldering so much disruption to their education
Our children have only been here a minute — I’m sure there are some people who have condiments in their fridge older than some of the implicated children. Yet they have been asked to shoulder so much disruption to their education and attachments.
Our school has been the consistent place for them to feel safe and part of their community, it was worthy of an injection of several million pounds just a few years ago. This school has been an integral part of the village identity since 1873, this “identity” feature appears to have saved other schools from being considered for closure.
Viable school considered when moving to the village
Our school is financially viable, this also, suddenly not an important factor when considering Wroxall.
Wroxall has attracted young families due to having a school. Many, like myself, bought dilapidated properties which were stood empty for years. We ripped up carpets, glossed and painted while heavily pregnant because of the vision of a serene rural life.
Ripping apart the community
What will happen to Wroxall if our school is taken away? Many of us will sell up and move on. Who will buy these homes? It won’t be young families. What does that mean for the community?
I think we can all think back a few years and remember who looked after the more vulnerable neighbours. This will have a knock on effect on social care costs- something already known to be a huge problem.
Schools breathe life into communities
We cannot look at communities in isolation.
We need to appreciate that schools breathe life into communities.
Without a school Wroxall will be a long road with a zebra crossing to nowhere.
The gaslighting is clear
We were invited to a pointless consultation process. I cannot understand where the task-force came from that read through all the submissions. There must have been thousands of them.
We were invited to attend cabinet meetings. The microphone was confiscated when we raised concerns. We were told to email concerns. This had already been done.
To cap it all, we were told not to be emotional by someone who had spent the evening screaming, and a few days later submitted a condescending and borderline neurotic boo-hoo to a local newspaper. The gaslighting is clear. We will be emotional about our children. We will be emotional about our community. Wroxall will not stand for this.
Happy new year.
