Oakfield C of E Primary School enjoys far reaching views over the Solent and is one of the largest sites on the Island, providing education for up to 245 children. It has a forest school, mud kitchen, adventure playground with artificial turf and extensive fields, much to the delight of the children, many of whom live in flats. The vast majority walk or scoot to school.

The school was rebuilt and opened in 2017 under a government scheme for disadvantaged communities, aimed at improving the attainment of children in those areas.

Of the pupils currently registered, over half qualify for Pupil Premium (a payment paid to schools for pupils living at or below the poverty line). It funds, amongst other things, school lunches. Oakfield also provides a “magic breakfast” to every child. Oakfield has a community pantry, with 600 families registered – a lifeline during the cost of living crisis.

The school has a partnership with the Prince’s Trust. Children and participants have benefitted from this greatly. The site is walking distance from a sailing club, where year 6 pupils gain invaluable knowledge on water safety and Island heritage.

We absolutely need more support for SEND children; Oakfield has 107 SEND pupils but none with needs high enough to qualify for any of the proposed repurposed sites. In short, it is the children who need enhanced, but not comprehensive specialised support, that will suffer the most if they are relocated. This is the case Island-wide, with “SENDbetweeners” overlooked and under-supported.

It is important to note that our school is not a parental choice school, as evidenced by the amount of vehicles that leave the locality to go to the rural schools – which is what makes it all the more important to our community. Our school isn’t necessarily the one the wider community chooses, but it is the school we need. The wishes of the advantaged shouldn’t usurp the needs of the vulnerable.

To those of Faith, to close the only C of E school in Ryde feels discriminatory. Whilst faith is a very personal choice, Oakfield Primary does a fantastic job of being inclusive by embodying the school values of Love, Hope, Honesty and Trust in everything they do. In difficult times, Faith can be a lifeline to those who are struggling.

Whilst there is clearly a need to address school place planning given the undersubscription numbers Island-wide, amongst the other five schools in Ryde town, there are only enough surplus places to accommodate 20 per cent of Oakfield’s pupils, should the school close. The council’s solution is to place temporary modular classrooms on the site of schools Oakfield parents choose to send their child to if Oakfield closes.

Planning applications amounting to 890 homes have been identified, equating to a council calculation of 222 extra children. At the Ryde Town Council meeting in October, strategic planners acknowledged their calculation but disclosed that not one of these 222 children had been included in their forecasts.

With this in mind, how can the council possibly argue that surplus places is a Ryde town issue? It makes no sense to shut schools in a locality that could potentially become oversubscribed in the future.