Protest held against school's possible closure

Parents and carers of children attending a primary school in Leeds which is under threat of closure for the second time in just over two years have held a protest against the move.

A three-week consultation over the future of Queensway Primary in Yeadon was launched by Leeds City Council earlier this month, just days before it was awarded a "good" rating by Ofsted inspectors.

Financial pressures and a low number of five-year-olds living in the area had put the school's long-term sustainability at risk, the council said.

But taking part in the protest outside the school on Monday evening, parent Matt Ford said: "I do not want to send my child anywhere else, I would rather home-school my child."

In 2022, the first consultation over closing the school was begun, following an Ofsted report which deemed it "inadequate".

However, the consultation was abandoned following pressure from parents and, following an inspection in December last year, the school was rated "good" in all areas.

Mr Ford, 40, said he believed it was "beyond a doubt" that Queensway Primary was the best place for his daughter, who required special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provisions.

"My daughter would not cope in another setting," he said.

"After the work done to turn this place around, I would not put my child in any other place."

Also attending Monday's protest with about 30 others was Vanessa Ponsford, who said she volunteered at Queensway Primary three days a week.

Ms Ponsford said she "worries for the future of the children" if the proposed closure was to go ahead.

"If you push them into a new school, they will just sink," she warned.

"This school needs to continue. They have worked so hard to get where they are now.

"It is not fair on the staff or the children," Ms Ponsford said.

Staff from the school, including head teacher Mark Duce, were also present at the protest.

Mr Duce said the local community was in "utter disbelief" at the fact the school was again facing closure.

Since the "inadequate" rating by Ofsted inspectors in 2022, everyone at the school had since been working hard to improve things.

According to the latest Ofsted report, the school was "ambitious" and had made "significant improvements" in how pupils behaved and how well they learned.

It added that "targeted support" for students who needed help with behaviour had made a "positive impact, contributing to the school's calm and focused learning environment".

Mr Duce said he hoped the latest Ofsted report would serve as further evidence that closing Queensway should not be an option.

"We have done everything we can, and we have a school we are really proud of," he said.

"Every child feels part of our school. All the work we have done will never be for nothing, but this is a real kick in the teeth."

He added that staff had "essentially jumped through all the hoops asked of us" and had "worked relentlessly".

Mr Duce previously said that of the 81 children at the school, about half of them required SEND provisions.

A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: "The school's improvement journey has made the decision to consult on its possible closure even more difficult.

"Despite the inspection outcome, the local authority has a responsibility to revisit the viability of the school given its increasingly challenging budget position and the very low numbers of four and five year olds living in the area, which has resulted in a risk to the school's long-term sustainability."

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