EVERY penny raised through the proposed re-organisation of the Island’s education system will be spent on Island children, IW Council leader David Pugh has stressed.
Areas such as special educational needs, family liaison officers and speech therapy would all be strengthened by money generated through the reorganisation process, Cllr Pugh said.
Cllr Pugh was speaking after the latest in a series of consultation meetings on the proposed reforms. Around 280 people attended Monday night’s session at Sandown High School, and a further 125 were present at Swanmore Middle School on Tuesday evening.
Cllr Pugh, a former Sandown High pupil, also sought to allay fears the changes would present parents with unmanageable transport issues.
He said: “The key message we have coming through these meetings is our determination to improve the standard of education from primary through to A-levels.
“For example, our GCSE results place us in the bottom 10 percent nationally in terms of pupils gaining A*-C grades. That is not acceptable. I believe Island children should not just be matching national standards but exceeding them.
“That is what this process is all about. I understand that changing the way we have done things for the past 38 years is going to cause concern particularly among those parents with children at schools that could close.
“This is particularly difficult given some of the good results we have within our primary schools, but there are major issues regarding the unequal spend on children, with the council spending £4800 extra educating a child in our smallest school, compared to our largest, with no discernable benefit as a result of this additional funding.
“But while concern for the welfare of their children is only natural, I believe some misinformation may be clouding the issue and causing undue anxiety.”
Cllr Pugh said two such areas were that the council planned to close schools simply to sell off the land to raise money for other council services and that young children faced longer journeys to school.
He said; “In essence, Government rules say that cash raised through the sale of educational land should support government funding for providing educational facilities. Not only do I agree with that, I will make a further promise: every penny raised during the process will be spend directly on providing for the Island’s children.
“This is not about making money for the council — it is about providing a better future for our young people”
On the question of travel to school, Cllr Pugh said the authority had a statutory duty to provide safe travel to school for all pupils aged under eight.
“There would be no point in raising opportunities for our children if we were to then expose them to danger getting to and from school. Transport is a major issue in this process and also in terms of reducing the Island’s carbon emissions.
“The council already has staff who have worked on imaginative and practical solutions to school travel issues across the Island. This sort of work will be a key part of any reorganisation.
“Our research shows that under whichever option is adopted, the there will be no major increase in the number of children having to make journeys to primary education longer than the two-mile target.
“It will also tackle the current situation of parents taking children right across the Island to the many schools with excess surplus places, meaning that over 20% of children currently travel more than 2 miles to get to school – this will decrease.”
Cllr Alan Wells, IW Council cabinet member for children and young people, said: “The consultations have been well attended and well conducted and it is clear that those present share the council’s passion for education on the Island, even if they may disagree with some aspects of the proposals.
“The views expressed are of course being taken on board and will be considered as the process continues. While much of the audience participation has been focussed on the issue of school closures, it is worth emphasising that the overall debate is about which structure is best for the future of Island education .”
