THE future of schools in the West Wight may now come down to a decision made by a governing body.

In the latest twist in the West Wight schools saga, the Isle of Wight Council cabinet next week will discuss whether to 'discontinue' All Saints' CE Primary School with the idea to move Yarmouth CE Primary School to Freshwater — in a move it says will secure long-term educational and financial stability for West Wight schools.

However, the council does not have the power to give direction to voluntary-aided Yarmouth Primary and the decision to relocate the school is in the hands of the governors of the school — who will make their decision four days after the council.

Should that happen, the council said the well-being of all pupils and their families affected by the changes would be its primary concern.

The council faced the threat of a judicial review in the summer, halting a previous consultation, which challenged its power to implement the relocation of Yarmouth.

Following a public notice published in October, with a subsequent consultation period, seeking to close All Saints' from August 31, 2020, council officers have offered their support to the governors of Yarmouth to undertake a consultation.

The consultation run by Yarmouth will finish on January 10 with governors making the final decision on Monday, January 13.

A similar consultation was run by the council which received mixed results.

A total of 16 objections were received about closing All Saints', with one supporter. Twenty-five responses were concerned with or objected to the relocation of Yarmouth, with three supporters and 16 responses alternatively proposing to close or relocate Shalfleet CE Primary.

Cllr Paul Brading, cabinet member for children’s services, said: “No recommendation to close a school is taken lightly but the council must look to the needs of the West Wight’s children, not only now, but also long into the future in coming to its final decision about how to address the oversupply of places.

“Five primary schools in the West Wight cannot be sustained — forecast numbers make that very clear.

“I would like to reassure parents and pupils that if All Saints’ does close, we will do everything we can to make the transition as smooth as it can possibly be, and that parents will be kept informed at every stage in the process.”

Cllr Steve Hastings, cabinet member and ward representative for central Wight, said in a community magazine, the 'recommendation is to close Yarmouth School and build a new school on the All Saints site', which he will support.

After cabinet makes its decision and if Yarmouth governors do not decide to relocate the school, the council will either close Yarmouth, keeping All Saints' open or close both schools and build a new academy subject to further consultation.

If governors relocate the school, two implementation groups will be formed to work with each school and set of governors to ensure standards are maintained and the transition of pupils is as seamless as possible.

The council has also said the Freshwater school site would be subject to a multi-million-pound investment from the Department for Education — which would see almost all the existing buildings demolished and rebuilt with the historic front of the school remodelled and fully refurbished, commencing this summer.

Although the funding has not yet been secured, the council is engaged in 'very positive discussions' about the project.