Three of five island schools saved from closure

Three primary schools on the Isle of Wight have been saved from closure, but two will shut as planned this summer.

Isle of Wight Council's cabinet voted to shut Arreton St George's CE and Cowes Primary at a meeting on Thursday.

But to cries and cheers of delight in the public gallery, Brading CE, Oakfield CE and Wroxall primary schools were saved.

The councillor in charge of education, Jonathan Bacon, resigned his cabinet position just before the meeting, calling his colleagues' turnaround "unacceptable".

It meant the former children's services councillor Debbie Andre was the one proposing the closures.

The campaigners' joy may be short-lived though, as the council said on Friday it would start the process again, as it still has too many school places.

Officers had argued that school closures were necessary to improve education standards and make schools financially sustainable.

But protestors, including the Church of England, criticised the plans, accusing the authority of a "failure to consult with all interested parties".

Parents, staff and local campaigners have held protests outside their schools, in Newport town centre and outside council meetings since the plans were announced in September.

At Thursday's meeting, more than 300 people watched online, and the council chamber gallery was so busy an extra room had to be opened for the public.

Following the meeting, Nick Binfield, one of the parent campaigners from Brading, said: "Everyone is overjoyed, the staff know their jobs are safe, the parents are relieved and the children are happy they can stay with their friends."

Amy Westlotorn, who had campaigned to save Arreton, said parents, children and staff there were "deflated and heartbroken" but pleased for the other schools.

In a statement, the Diocese of Portsmouth said: "We remain concerned regarding the process that led to the decision to close Arreton St George's CE Primary School and Cowes Primary School.

"We are therefore taking legal advice and will continue to consider all options as advised."

The report presented to council on Thursday said all processes had been followed correctly and that taking no action would leave the council in a precarious financial position, taking on the debt of schools.

The council, which is led by the Alliance Group, said there were almost 1,900 unfilled places in mainstream schools as of October 2023, and it projected that figure to rise to 3,056 by September 2027.

By March 2027, the forecasted deficit for 22 out of the island's 33 maintained primary schools is £5.2m.

Speaking to the BBC on Friday, leader of Isle of Wight council, Phil Jordan, said the problem had not gone away and action would need to be taken.

"All schools on the island will be involved in a new approach to understand how, where and when we can adjust school places," he explained.

"Most people understand we need to close schools."

A sixth school – Godshill Primary – was also originally set to close, but was taken off the list last year.

Jonathan Bacon, the councillor who had led the closure programme, resigned his cabinet post shortly before the meeting.

He said the proposed measures were an "essential step to sorting out the problems in our local education system".

"The decisions made last night do not achieve an improvement," he added.

"Further they are not just a failure to address matters but instead they have made matters significantly worse.

"The cabinet may have avoided a pothole, but as a result the council is now heading towards a cliff."

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