By Isle of Wight Observer
The huge challenge facing Isle of Wight schools amid falling birth rates and the steep decline in pupil numbers is laid bare in the Island’s first school place planning strategy, published this week by the Isle of Wight Council.
The draft strategy sets out why the authority must tackle the high number of surplus places to ensure schools are adequately funded and Island youngsters receive a good education
The strategy also supports, the new draft Education Strategy, the council’s blueprint for school improvement, also launched this week, which aims to turn around our underperforming school system.
Many school leaders support the plans, which will lead to the closure of some schools. One headteacher wrote: “For the school system on the Island to thrive and children to receive the education they deserve, it is imperative that schools are full and that there is a good mix of larger (two form entry) and smaller primary schools in the right geographic locations, which feed into appropriately sized secondary provision.”
Islanders ranked ‘quality of education’ as their top priority during engagement meetings held by the council’s new children’s services team to explain reasons why change is required. Since taking over from Hampshire in February, the team has visited every Island school and worked with head teachers and governors to understand what is important to them.
Why change is needed
Nationally, birth rates have reduced to their lowest level since 1941. The drop is having a significant impact on the Island where, by 2027, just 920 children are expected to start reception —in 2018 it was 1,404.
As of October 2023, there were 1,898 unfilled school places across the Island. By September 2027, this number is forecast to rise to 3,056.
Every unfilled place affects resources. The ongoing trend indicates that by March 2027, 22 primary schools may face budget deficits amounting to a cumulative £7.4 million or more.
Surplus places also means schools struggle to maintain a broad and high-quality curriculum. Falling rolls also make planning and staffing decisions difficult, with schools potentially having to make year on year redundancies or having to restructure.
Next steps
The new report sets out how school places will be managed to ensure parents and carers of all children living on the Island can secure a good school place within a reasonable distance of home.
It identifies the total number of empty school places in each area and proposes a reduction, taking into account factors like housing developments.
The strategy also identifies the opportunity to expand the provision of high-quality education for youngsters with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Councillor Jonathan Bacon, cabinet member for children’s services, explained: “With a steep decline in births a clear school place planning strategy is required.
“There has been a delay in bringing this forward due to the need to get a fuller understanding of how education standards on the Island can be improved and how place planning fits within this aim.
“We now have a wholly Island-based education team at County Hall, focusing exclusively on dealing with these issues.”
The draft strategy will be considered by the IW Council cabinet, on Thursday, July 18, and, if approved, a detailed review will start during the summer to identify what this will mean for the future of individual schools on the Island.
Islanders can give their views by emailing strategic.planning@iow.gov.uk
You can find links to information about education plans via iw.observer/education-strategies.
A message from Ashley Whittaker, strategic director of children’s services:
“Over recent months it has been my privilege to listen to the views and opinions of a wide range of people, both children and adults, who care deeply about the Isle of Wight. When they talk about education, some share their recent and current experiences of nursery, school or college, and their plans and aspirations for the future. Others reflect on what worked, and could have been better, when they were younger.
“What unites everyone is a consensus that the quality of education on the Island can and must improve, and an ambition to transform education outcomes to a standard that reflects the true potential of the Island’s children.
“Alongside this ambition is an acknowledgement that the world is changing, and that education provision must adapt to reflect this. The prevalence of special educational needs and disabilities has increased, as have needs relating to emotional wellbeing and mental health. Skills required within the workforce of the future, locally and internationally, are constantly evolving. In many places, including the Island, there is a significant reduction in the number of babies being born, and a corresponding subsequent decline in the number of children entering primary school. These changes in the needs and numbers of children, and requirements of employers, demand a corresponding adjustment to the Island’s school system.
“To realise the ambition contained within the Island’s new draft Education Strategy, complex and difficult decisions are needed.
They are also decisions that are essential to establish the foundations required to deliver a high performing and world class education system, and to drive up academic and wider life outcomes for all children. By making these decisions, we will be able to deliver on our shared commitment to fully unlock the potential of the Island’s children and young people and allow them to truly thrive.”
