Parents meet to fight school merger plans

Parents of children at a school that has been earmarked for closure are "beyond furious" and have met to discuss how they can fight the plans.

Multi-academy trust Coastal Learning Partnership (CLP) is consulting on proposals to merge St George's in Langton Matravers, Dorset, with St Mark's in nearby Swanage.

CLP, which operates 20 primary schools in Dorset, said falling pupil numbers left it with a challenge where every solution carried difficult consequences.

The trust postponed a community consultation event, due to take place on Thursday, until after a board meeting but parents decided to meet anyway to discuss their concerns.

Parent Lauren Malone said: "We decided to meet up tonight to not waste all the work that we've put in to printing thousands of leaflets from our own money, dropping them into houses, to ensure the community were made aware.

"So we just said we'll move it down the road to the lovely village hall and engage with the community ourselves."

Commenting on the proposed closure, she said: "My little girl is already upset and this will completely transport her away from the Langton community."

Malone said there was a "lack of clarity" with parents feeling "shock and despair and panic".

"My message is 'please can you put a halt to this immediately'."

Under the proposals St. George's and St. Mark's CE Primary Schools would become a single primary school and pre-school on the existing St Mark's site in Swanage, which would be open from September 2027.

The trust has said that this would "protect the quality of education" and there would be plenty of space for every child from both schools to be admitted from the outset, and for future expansion if required.

St George's school would close and return to its owner the Salisbury Diocesan Board of Education.

The two schools, which are just over one mile apart, receive the majority of their core funding from the government and this is based on the number of pupils enrolled.

The trust estimates that if it takes no action then over 10 years it could have a deficit of about £3m.

Charlotte Fereday said she was feeling "quite confused and a little bit angry".

Her son has nearly finished at the school but she thinks "it will devastate the village if the school leaves".

"It's the heart of the community and it's really important to the people that live here," she said.

Parent Victoria Benfield said she chose the school for her daughter because "it's a small community" and a "lovely, caring school"

"I am beyond furious and I'm appalled at how they are handling the whole situation," she said.

In a letter to parents, the CLP CEO Paul Howieson said: "The trust board of Coastal Learning Partnership has arranged to meet on Monday 22 June specifically to take time to reflect carefully on everything that has been shared with us during the consultation so far.

"In view of that meeting and given the volume and quality of responses and views we have already received, we feel it is the right thing to do to pause and consider all of that information carefully before the third community meeting takes place.

"Following Monday's board meeting, we will be in touch with an update, which will include confirmation of a rescheduled date for the community evening session."

Parent Christopher Pike said news of the closure came "out of the blue" and he thinks the consultation process has been "poorly managed".

He believes it is "biased" and only focussing on the closure of St George's, without taking alternative options into account.

Tony Allen believes the closure will have a knock-on effect with other local groups such as scouts and brownies.

He said: "I'm really disappointed. I think a child is raised by a village and a school is a fundamental part of that village."

He said he understands that it is a difficult time but believes there must be "a better way" to solve the challenges faced.

"Stop what you are doing, you are already causing damage by announcing this consultation," Allen said.