When a school suffers falling numbers it is right that the authorities investigate. It is no use carpetbaggers from minor political parties joining in the protest without offering constructive solutions.
Of course the resultant smaller class sizes are good in principle, but not at the expense of starving funds from other more popular schools in the area.
Shortwood Infant School has room for 81 children, but with numbers currently well below 50 it is not financially viable, and the quality of education is beginning to suffer.
So yes, let’s support the tradition of a 114-year-old school, but only on condition that it’s fall from grace is addressed by concrete measures to restore its intake.
I remember when my first infant school shut in 1962. It was a terrible shock because all the teaching methods changed, but I survived.
Graeme
ReplyDeleteThe help given by local politicians etc is to enable Shortwood a fair hearing based over closure. There is serious concern regarding some of the evidence used by Surrey CC as part of their proposal.
The most important part of our campaign is to identify and demonstrate how we can implement 'concrete' proposals to address the intake problems. We are putting together a business case to show how we will do this. Shortwood has set a balance budget for next year.
The point you made that you survived the closure of a small school was valid, but there are other venerable individuals who may not do so well.
Also as a conservative you must recognize the need for individual choice.
Best Regards Ian Winter
An interesting opinion......however, you neglect to mention Playbox Playgroup which is on site. Numbers there are currently at 33 and it is full for September 2010 (with a waiting list for places), something which is unheard of so early on in the year. Sessions have recently had to be extended to include afternoons because of it's popularity. So it shows that numbers are on the increase, and that's without all the local housing developments. Probably 85% of children leaving here go on to Shortwood, so it stands to reason that numbers in Shortwood will rise in time if given the chance. Surrey CC seem to want to forget that it is there because when you add on the numbers from Playbox with the numbers from Shortwood, it obviously looks a less favourable argument.
ReplyDeletePlaybox has been repeatedly overlooked throughout this whole proposure, mainly by Surrey CC and they have no clue what is going to happen to the group should the school shut.
Perhaps the budget for schools would not be so starving if the people putting forward this proposal weren't getting paid enough to buy the brand new BMW's they are currently driving around in.
Katrina Reeve
Manager
Playbox Playgroup.
I absoulutely agree with you. If there was space at another school with the same quality of education it would be a no brainer. However, considering the fact that of the 6 schools parents have been offered as an alternative, 3 are of a lower educational standard, as proven by their Ofsted results, 1 is out of Borough and of the 2 remaining, 1 is a faith school and the other is completely over subscribed. Closure of this school should be proposed as a last resort given the fact that the council themselves are predicting a shortage of reception and primary school places available in our borough within 3 years. Presumably this includes the 81 places that Shortwood provides...so if they closed Shortwood those students would have to be ferried out of borough to schools that did have space, at great expense to the Council...sounds like the best use of my tax pounds...don't you think?
ReplyDelete