This from Peter Shreeve, Assistant District Secretary of the National Education Union and Mark Chiverton, UNISON Branch Secretary. Ed
As reported by OnTheWight, the Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA) has ruled that the closure process followed by the Isle of Wight council was flawed.
“There was no clear and transparent way of identifying which Island schools should close and that the council offered “misleading and incorrect information, and those procedural flaws are likely to have made a difference to the outcome”.
Dismayed by the negative impact
This decision confirms what the NEU and UNISON on the Isle of Wight have been saying since the initial schools closure report in September.
We are delighted for our members, children and their families at Arreton and are grateful to all those who campaigned to save the school.
However, we are dismayed by the negative impact on all those schools originally proposed for closure. Children, staff and the communities which support them were unnecessarily badly impacted by a flawed process which has inflicted terrible damage to the whole school system and Island children.
Cowes Primary closure should be halted
As we write, Cowes Primary School is still due to close – a victim of precisely the same flawed process. That closure should be halted immediately.
Others can carry out an inquest as to how and why this happened.
We believe that the schools, staff, families and their children, as well as the Diocese and the trade unions, can be proud that their actions have been vindicated.
Meaningfully involve all partners
When officers and decision makers revisit school closures, as they surely will, the NEU and UNISON implore these leaders to meaningfully involve all their partners.
First and foremost, this means school-based unions and the Diocese, as well as school leaders, in order to enable us to work effectively together to protect and improve Island education for the children we serve. That means protecting the jobs and conditions of our dedicated skilled school staff, who continue to demonstrate their commitment on a daily basis.
