By Carole Dennett
The potential closure of six primary schools will not become a political football – that’s the pledge of the Island’s Conservative education spokesman, Cllr Paul Brading.
On Wednesday, the IW Council announced that, at next Thursday’s cabinet meeting, they will decide whether to start a consultation on closing Cowes, Arreton St George’s CE, Oakfield CE, Brading CE, Wroxall, and Godshill schools. There are also plans to reduce the intake numbers for The Bay CE and Greenmount Primary Schools.
The announcement sparked outrage on social media, with many parents worried about their children’s education. Those whose children were moved from Chillerton & Rookley School, which closed earlier this year, to Godshill, now face their children attending three schools in as many years, if Godshill closes next July, as proposed.
According to council papers, the selection of schools was based on factors such as the quality of provision, where the children live, local housing developments, and financial viability.
The re-organisation is deemed necessary due to an over-supply of primary school places. As of October 2023, there were 1,898 unfilled school places across the Island, a number forecasted to rise to 3,056 by September 2027. Financially, this could result in 22 primary schools having budget deficits totalling £7.4 million or more by March 2027.
However, the council insists that finances are not the driving force behind the closures, but rather a push for better educational results, claiming that most, if not all, of the buildings will remain in educational use if their plans proceed.
While the need for mainstream school places is falling, the demand for Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision is increasing, and the plans include some sites being repurposed to meet that need.
The council would not disclose the number of redundancies expected if the closures proceed; instead highlighting that other opportunities would be available within the school system or at County Hall. However, a senior school insider estimated that there would be around 120 people made redundant, about 50 per cent of them qualified teachers.
At Wednesday’s Scrutiny Committee for Education meeting, Cllr Brading allowed only one question about the controversial plans – why it had taken three years to get to this stage. He said that further discussions will take place during the committee’s October meeting.
Cllr Jonathan Bacon, the cabinet member for education, explained that the issue had originally been raised in 2018 but had not been addressed until now.
Cllr Brading said he had friends who were teachers and headteachers, who had been unable to enjoy their summer holidays due to the looming announcement, and raising the “passion and commitment” of the officer team for their work on the proposals. He added: “We’re not playing politics with children’s futures. There will be discussions about why schools have been chosen, and everyone will have a view. Closing six schools at once is difficult, but some need to close. Many schools are in financial trouble, and the council will have to absorb their debt if they close.”
Cllr Brading acknowledged that the general election in July had delayed the timing of the announcement. He said the process would be very challenging for officers, due to the high workload, and questioned if a staged approach might be better, although he noted that they were already “well behind the curve”.
He advised his Conservative colleagues not to politicise the issue, stressing its importance for the Island’s young people and their education. He also mentioned that the “fiasco” around closing Chillerton & Rookley had cost the council around £150,000.
Cllr Bacon responded: “Our results are extremely poor compared to other areas, and have been for many years. We must do better. The first step is to acknowledge the problem, which we have done.
“We now have to address it, and have proposed a consultation to see what comes out of it. This issue has been developing for far longer than three years, and action is desperately needed.”
