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Schools face closure in county review

From the Abingdon Herald, first published Thursday 27th Jul 2006.

SCHOOLS in Oxfordshire could be merged or closed as the county's education chiefs undertake a major review of primary education.

From 2009, the Government will allocate millions of pounds extra funding for schools.

But local education authorities, such as Oxfordshire County Council, have to prepare a detailed plan for their schools to qualify.

The Government want to hear proposals for improved standards, better use of school buildings and dealing with an increasing number of surplus places.

About a fifth of Oxfordshire's 237 primary schools are less than three-quarters full.

Michael Mill, the county council's strategic manager, said he could not rule out closures but stressed that each school would be treated as a separate case. He said: "We're not saying that if a school has a lot of surplus places, we are going to close it.

"Madley Brook school, in Witney, for example, has 74 surplus places, but it has only been open for three years and is still filling up.

"However, there are now a number of things pointing us in the direction of doing something more significant across the county.

"We are always looking at and implementing ways of solving surplus places, and this can often be done through things like removing temporary classrooms or amalgamating schools, as we have done at the Benson schools.

"But this review is about more than just looking at surplus places. It will enable us to give a detailed report on each school, its area and the needs of its children and parents. We will be looking at schools individually to determine how we can help them and support families."

In 2004, the then schools minister, David Miliband, angered Oxfordshire education chiefs when he said 36 primary schools and five secondary schools in Oxfordshire less than three-quarters full and performing poorly might close, merge or provide a range of new community services.

The county council refused to name the 41 highlighted by Mr Miliband to avoid alarming parents and school employees. As in the rest of the country, Oxfordshire has continued to see a fall in the number of primary school admissions.

Mark Forder, Oxfordshire secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), welcomed the review.

He said: "In Oxfordshire there are quite a large number of small primary schools and the debate is, are they economical? And if they are taking up a disproportionate amount of funding, what can be done?

"However, the local authority cannot decide to close a school each school has its own board of governors who would fight to keep their school. It will be very interesting to see what the review comes up with."

The review is due to start later this year and subsequent proposals will be put out for wider consultation with parents. The exact amount of money to be made available has not been announced.

PRIMARY schools operating with less than three-quarters capacity at the end of the school year: Madley Brook, Witney; West Kidlington; Five Acres, Ambrosden; Brookside, Bicester; Longfields Primary and Nursery, Bicester; Glory Farm, Bicester; Burford; Witney CP; Edith Moorhouse, Carterton; RAF Benson; Stadhampton; Tetsworth; South Stoke; Badgemore, Henley; Bayards Hill, Barton; East Oxford; Greenmere, Didcot; John Hampden, Thame; Stephen Freeman, Didcot; Thameside, Abingdon; Hanwell Fields, Banbury; Ashbury with Compton Beauchamp; Northbourne, Didcot; Shellingford; St Edmunds, Abingdon; St Mary's, Chipping Norton; St Mary's, Banbury; Finstock; Standlake; North Leigh; Bletchingdon; Garsington; Aston Rowant; Benson CE; Clifton Hampden; New Hinksey, Oxford; Grove; Sutton Courtenay; Uffington; Milton; Great Rollright; St Peter's Infants, Bampton; St Joseph's, Carterton; Dr South's, Islip; Wootton-by-Woodstock; and Little Milton.

Figures taken from Oxfordshire County Council's school admissions booklet. These figures do not include schools' early years/foundation years pupils.

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