A report recommending the closure of All Saints' CE Primary School and expansion and relocation of Yarmouth CE Primary School will go before the Isle of Wight Council’s Cabinet next week (July 11).

The local authority must address the oversupply of school places in the West Wight area where five schools currently cater for about 90 children per year group - a number which is expected to fall over the coming years.

The report recommends that a public notice is published to:

- close All Saints’ Primary School, Freshwater from April 3, 2020;

- expand Yarmouth CE Primary School;

- relocate Yarmouth CE Primary School to the All Saints’ site once new building works are completed there.

The council said it made sense to propose closing All Saints' as it was operating with a significant surplus capacity - 62 per cent - and was not currently offering a good standard of education, according to Ofsted.

All Saints' has been rated as 'requiring improvement' by the body since 2013, while Yarmouth Primary is rated ‘good’.

Councillor Paul Brading, Cabinet member for children’s services, said: "In terms of sensible planning for the location of the current schools, it makes sense to use the buildings closest to where the children live.

"Given only seven children attending Yarmouth actually live in the town and 69 live in Freshwater and Totland, it makes logical sense to propose the move to relocate Yarmouth CE Primary onto the All Saints’ site.

"It also makes the most sense strategically in terms of future proofing buildings as the All Saints’ site is due to receive a multi-million-pound investment from the Department for Education to substantially improve/replace the existing buildings. This can take place following closure and the temporary expansion at Yarmouth."

The schools are largely funded on a per pupil basis, so having one less school in West Wight would mean the remaining four are more financially sustainable.

If approved by Cabinet on 11 July, a public notice on the recommendations will be published on Friday July 19 and people can make their views known through the statutory process until Friday September 20.

All the responses to the statutory notice will be considered fully by the Cabinet and it will make a final decision on Thursday October 10, 2019.

Councillor Brading added: "Once the decision is finally made, we will work closely with parents and local schools to ensure the children can transition to their new school.

"We are confident all the schools will welcome any new children and will work hard to ensure they are fully integrated into the life of their new school."

Councillor Vix Lowthion of Freshwater Parish Council said: "The loss of a primary school in Yarmouth will be deeply upsetting for the town. It is a popular school at the heart of the community and has been there for over a hundred years. No-one in the West Wight wants to see any of our schools closed – rural schools rightly have a degree of protection against closure. But Hampshire Education and our IW Council insist that the numbers of pupils and the funding just does not add up.

"In the longer term, investment in a 21st century school building in the large village of Freshwater is welcome, as for too long the West Wight has been ignored when it comes to updating our public services. However, in the short term there will be an immense amount of upheaval as pupils may need to be moved around sites, and this will cause a number of problems if not adequately planned for.

"This school closure will have a significant impact upon all the schools in the area. The IW Council must avoid the mistakes made in their woeful reorganisation of schools ten years ago. Teachers, governors, parents, councillors and the wider community must be closely involved in the planning and preparation – and a clear commitment made by the Council that a new school in Freshwater will open its doors by 2022."