School closures on the Isle of Wight

Our diocese is challenging plans drawn up by the Isle of Wight Council to deal with an issue of surplus places by closing six schools. Three of the six schools identified for closure are Church of England schools - Oakfield C of E Primary in Ryde, Brading C of E Primary and Arreton St George's C of E Primary.

Church of England schools are, of course, not 'faith' schools, but exist to serve their local communities, welcoming children of all faiths and none - with an ethos and distinctiveness rooted in Christian values. They are inclusive schools and valued by the communities they serve, as explained in the Church of England’s vision for education: ‘Deeply Christian, Serving the Common Good’.

Our diocese recognises the challenge of surplus places, and doesn't oppose these plans merely because these schools are CofE schools. But we maintain that the rationale for closing these three schools is not wholly clear or transparent. Among other things, pupils' attainment has been used by the local authority as one of the reasons for closure. However, academic standards is not listed by the DfE as one of the reasons a local authority should use to consider closing a school - the distribution of surplus places and the demography of where families live is more important. The proposals also disproportionally affect those families living in disadvantaged areas.

The initial reaction from our bishop and diocese to this news was that if a local authority proposes the closure of a C of E school, parents should be offered an alternative CofE school that is easily accessible. You can read our initial statement here.

Two separate formal responses were submitted to the Isle of Wight Council, one from Bishop Jonathan and one from the diocese’s Board of Education, challenging the council’s plans to close Oakfield CofE Primary, Brading CofE Primary and Arreton St George’s CofE Primary. Both responses asked the council for a pause in the process to consider other options, rather than closure. You can read about them here.