AN independent government adjudicator has overturned a decision to close Arreton St George’s CofE Primary School on the Isle of Wight, it was announced today.

The Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA) has ruled that the closure process followed by the Isle of Wight Council was flawed – and that there was no clear and transparent way of identifying which island schools should close.

It said the council offered misleading and incorrect information, and those procedural flaws are likely to have made a difference to the outcome. It therefore ruled that the school should remain open.

Our diocesan director of education, Jeff Williams, said the 30-page report was a vindication of the stance taken by the Diocese of Portsmouth since the council originally published plans to close six schools – including three Church of England schools – in September 2024. One of those schools, Godshill Primary, was dropped from the plans in December 2024.

Although councillors later voted against plans to close Oakfield CofE Primary School in Ryde, Brading CofE Primary School and Wroxall Primary, they forged ahead with closure plans for Arreton St George’s CofE Primary and Cowes Primary School – despite multiple warnings from our diocese’s education team that the process was flawed.

The OSA reviewed the evidence around the process, decisions, criteria and other issues relating to the schools involved. However, they only had the power to rule on the proposed closure of Arreton St George’s CofE Primary.

The headteacher of Arreton CofE Primary School, Nicky Coates (pictured above), said: “Whilst we are, of course, pleased that the OSA has agreed with us and with the diocese that the process was flawed, our mood is not one of pure celebration.

"The decision by the Isle of Wight Council to identify our school for closure in September has caused untold damage to our school, our staff, the families involved and to our local community.

"I feel sad and frustrated that so much time and energy has been wasted on a process that was flawed from the start. I’m pleased we had so much support from staff, parents and local residents, and that their views have been recognised as correct.”

And the diocese’s director of education, Jeff Williams, said: “We are also not celebrating this news. It does, however, justify the stance that we took right back at the start of this process, which was to argue that the method used to select all six schools originally earmarked for closure was not fair or transparent.

“It has vindicated the efforts of our diocese’s education team, the headteachers and governors of all the schools, as well as the pupils, parents and all those who campaigned against these closures. All those who held up placards and banners, or who wrote to the council, or who attended public meetings to protest need to know that their views have also been vindicated.

“One of the reasons that we campaigned so hard was because we know how important it is to get this process right. The Isle of Wight Council has already indicated that it will have to go through a similar process again, because the issue of surplus places still exists. If they do so, it is imperative that they carry out the process in the right way, or else we’ll be back in this situation again.”