Opposition to six potential primary school closures has been stepped up across the Isle of Wight.
Parents, teachers and community campaigners have called public meetings and organised petitions to try to put a stop to proposals to close schools in Cowes, Arreton, Oakfield, Brading, Wroxall and Godshill.
In Brading, the campaign to save the town’s Church of England primary school has called a public meeting which will take place on Thursday, September 19 at St Mary’s Church at 6.30pm.
Brading resident Lee Keenan has started a petition opposing the closure which currently has 393 signatures.
A parent spokesperson for the Brading campaign said:
“We need as many people who support our school and our town’s future to get together behind our campaign to save our school.
“The staff are fantastic and support our children so well. We must get together to keep Brading Primary School open!”
In addition to this, there will be a protest outside the school at 8.10am on Thursday, September 12, and on the same day outside County Hall from 4pm whilst the council Cabinet are meeting to discuss the closures.
In Arreton, parents of children at Arreton St George’s CE Primary School staged a protest outside the school yesterday.
A petition to save the school has so far gathered 381 signatures.
Last Thursday, attendees at Councillor Michael Lilley’s Ryde Appley and Elmfield ward meeting raised concerns about the closure of Oakfield Church of England Primary School.
Campaigner Jen Hughes’s ‘Save Oakfield C of E Primary School in Ryde’ petition has 1,039 signatures.
Meanwhile Godshill parent Laura Dupré’s petition to save her village’s primary school has reached 416 signatures.
A public meeting with Wroxall Parish Council and Councillor Rodney Dower who represents Wroxall, Lowtherville and Bonchurch on the Isle of Wight Council, will discuss the closure of Wroxall Primary School on September 16 at Stenbury Hall at 8pm.
Wayne Sheath’s petition to save the school has 271 signatures.
On September 16, the Save Cowes Primary School campaign will host a meeting at Cowes Primary School at 6pm to discuss the Isle of Wight Council’s school closures consultation which is likely to be agreed at a cabinet meeting on Thursday.
Craig Gillam’s ‘Save Cowes Primary School’ petition has collected 414 signatures.
Cllr Jonathan Bacon, cabinet member for children’s services, has previously said:
“Our results are extremely poor in comparison to other areas and have been for many years. We must do better.
“The first step is to acknowledge the problem. With our new education department, which is focussed solely on Island children, we have been able to do that. This is essential so that we can now work to address the issue rather than side-stepping it, as has been the case for too long.
“As has been made clear, we have serious structural challenges, including, most urgently, the oversupply of places in primary schools.
“Following what the data tells us means we are facing some incredibly difficult decisions on reducing the number of school places across the Island. This is the only way to ensure that we can minimise the long-term negative impact on the Island’s education.”
An Isle of Wight Council spokesperson said:
“The Isle of Wight Council welcomes the public conducting petitions. This is part of an open and transparent democratic process.
“We welcome and encourage public involvement during this time.
"If we progress to the consultation stage, we want to hear the public’s views and suggestions on how we can address the issue of surplus places.”
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