Could a West Wight school close? Council to launch consultation

The council will launch a consultation following a forecast decline in the number of young children living in the West Wight. There are five schools in West Wight — All Saints, St Saviour’s, Yarmouth Primary, Brighstone Primary, and Shalfleet Primary.

A council spokesperson said: “A report is being taken to Cllr Brading, cabinet member for children’s services, education and skills on March 19, seeking his permission to enter into a consultation with the local schools, parents and the wider community.

“The report will give up to date information about the numbers of children living in the area and will suggest ways forward for discussion.”

The council did not deny one of the outcomes could be a school closure, but said a decision would be made after the consultation process had concluded.

The consultation would begin in early March, and run for six weeks.

Which primary schools could be included in the consultation?

All Saints

All Saints Primary School

All Saints, Freshwater, has 87 pupils on the school role and was described by Ofsted Inspectors as a ‘smaller than average primary school’. It has a capacity for 210 students. The school has three mixed-year classes, plus early years.

It was judged to require improvement in the three most recent inspections (2013, 2015 and 2017), although inspectors said early years provision was good. During a monitoring visit in July 2018, Ofsted inspectors said the senior leaders and governors were not taking effective action to tackle the areas found to require improvement — including challenging pupils, oversight of teaching and development of leaders’ skills in monitoring.

St Saviour’s

St Saviour's Catholic Primary School

St Saviour’s Catholic Primary school has 135 pupils, with a capacity of 140. The school has four classes, some mixed-years, plus early years.

At the most recent inspection in 2018, the school was found to be good. The school was judged to be outstanding for the behaviour and safety of it’s pupils. Inspectors praised the school’s ‘inspirational headteacher’ and said the school was a happy and caring place where pupils behaved well.

Yarmouth primary

Yarmouth Church of England Primary School

Yarmouth has 90 pupils, and a capacity for 105. It belongs to the Federation of Church Schools of Shalfleet and Yarmouth. The school has three mixed-year classes.

During a short inspection of the school, inspectors said the school continues to be good. Inspectors praised attendance and said the leadership team had maintained a good quality of education in the school.

Shalfleet primary

Shalfleet Church of England Primary School

Shalfleet Church of England Primary School has 171 pupils, and a school capacity of 168. It has six classes, plus a reception.

The school has been judged to be good in the four most recent inspections, including a short inspection in 2018. Inspectors said pupils enjoyed learning, had good attendance and made good progress.

Brighstone

Brighstone Church of England Primary School

Brighstone Church of England Primary has 123 pupils, and a school capacity of 210.

Inspectors judged the school to require improvement at the previous two inspections (2016 and 2018). They said leaders had stopped the decline in standards, and outcomes were beginning to improve, but they were not in line with other schools nationally. They praised early years provision, which was judged to be good.