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Parents fight to save school with only 17 pupils

Andrew Turner
BBC News, Norfolk
Reporting fromCantley
Andrew Turner/BBC Matthew Lawson has greying hair, and sports a full beard and moustache. He wears brown-framed glasses, and is holding onto his daughter who is sitting on a swing in Cantley Village Hall playground. She has blonde hair and is wearing a red fleece with the school logo embroidered onto it. She is holding onto the chains of the swing. Behind them is other play equipment, fencing, a mound covered in grass and some trees.Andrew Turner/BBC
Dad Matthew Lawson said the AIM Federation has not advertised Cantley Primary School, and that was why numbers had declined

Parents said they had not been given enough time to take part in discussions about the future of a school that has just 17 pupils enrolled from September.

AIM Federation of Schools and Norfolk County Council said Cantley Primary School, near Great Yarmouth, was not viable, and proposed to merge it with nearby Freethorpe Primary School.

A consultation was launched on the idea, and parents have until 16 June to participate, with a decision expected before the summer holidays. If approved, the schools would merge for September.

Parent Teacher Association, chair, Jess Royal, said: "It isn't long enough for what could be a life-changing decision on where you want to be sending your children."

Andrew Turner/BBC Jess Royal and her son on the play equipment at Cantley Village Hall. She has long brown hair, and is smiling, wearing a green knitted jersey. Her son has ginger hair, has a gap-toothed smile as his adult teeth grow and he is wearing a red fleece embroidered with the school logo. The play equipment is made of red and yellow iron bars, with a blue board to the left of the image, with grass and trees to the right and in the backdrop.Andrew Turner/BBC
Jess Royal, chair of Cantley's Parent Teacher Association, said it was important to fight the closure proposal

Norfolk County Council said with no children due into the Reception class from September, all pupils in years one to six would have to be taught in a single class.

It said merging with another school operated by the same federation would ensure continuity in teaching, ethos and culture.

But Ms Royal added: "We've worked very hard as a PTA on this last year, to build those connections and trust back up with parents and fundraising to develop a forest school setting, which is a unique selling point for the school.

"We just feel like it's not being promoted enough by the federation, and the school hasn't had the chance to prove what it's capable of."

Andrew Turner/BBC A close up shot of a road sign bearing a parent and child emblem, and the word "School" on a separate sign beneath. In the distance are wooden buildings that form part of Cantley Primary School. In the foreground is a car park with a few cars parked, and some hedging and trees. The sky is cloudy.Andrew Turner/BBC
Cantley Primary School will have just 17 pupils enrolled from September, which the school federation and Norfolk County Council said was unviable

PTA member Matthew Lawson said the group had been asking questions about the school's viability since February.

"It feels like they've [the school] had a rough ride over the last few years, and they've had successive headteachers and there's no stability," the dad said.

"And they're counting on the lack of stability and using it to close the school and save money.

"I fundamentally believe this school has a heartbeat still."

Andrew Turner/BBC Cantley Primary School car park sign - bearing those exact words, stating "users of this car park do so at their own risk". The logo features a blue tree, with blue and some red leaves. In the backdrop are the school buildings, made from timber, and the school car park.Andrew Turner/BBC
If the proposal is accepted, Cantley's catchment area will be merged with nearby Freethorpe, and the children offered places at Freethorpe Primary School which is part of the same trust

Executive headteacher David Hopkins said: "Our priority as a federation is to ensure that all of our children get the very best education.

"Unfortunately, we just don't feel we can deliver a broad enough curriculum with the numbers as they are at Cantley, which is why our governors have made the difficult decision to proceed with this consultation.

"We believe that amalgamation will give us a stronger, more resilient school community, but we want to hear the opinions of parents, carers and the community.

"No decision has been made."

Cllr Penny Carpenter, cabinet member for Norfolk's children's services, said: "The number of pupils at Cantley has been falling for some time and has reached a critical point in the last few months.

"Sadly, this means we have reached the point where we need to consult on this proposed amalgamation, because we need to ensure all children locally can continue to receive a good education."

Local county councillor Andrew Proctor said: "Cantley is a good school, which has served the community well for many years.

"The focus must be on how and where children in the village can receive the best education.

"I would urge people locally to respond to the consultation, with their views."

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