Proposal to consult on closure of Buildwas Primary School
Shropshire Council is planning to consult on proposals which could result in the closure of Buildwas Primary School.
Buildwas Primary School was placed in special measures following its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2015. Prior to this the school had been judged to ‘require improvement’.
Shropshire Council is working very closely with the governors and the temporary acting headteachers to make improvements to the quality of provision for the children who currently attend the school.
In fact, the progress being made by the school was recognised during the recent monitoring visit when Her Majesty’s Inspector commented positively on the steps governors are taking to address “the shortcomings in the school”.
However, Shropshire Council is determined to ensure pupils in Buildwas have the opportunity to attend a school providing high-quality provision in the long term.
A report outlining the reasons for the proposed closure will be considered by Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for children’s services on Monday 13 July 2015 – asking that she approves a proposal to formally consult on the closure of Buildwas Primary School in August 2016.
If the proposal to consult is agreed, a six-week consultation will take place from 7 September to 18 October 2015. The outcomes of this consultation will then be given full consideration by Shropshire Council.
This consultation would provide an opportunity to consider a wide range of factors relating to the school, including the limitations of the school site, the good quality of alternative provision available to pupils and their families, the sustainability and viability of current arrangements, and the falling pupil numbers.
Currently only a half of eligible pupils in the catchment area attend the school. Falling pupil numbers are affecting the school’s financial viability and its ability to secure effective leadership and sustainable improvement.
Karen Bradshaw, Shropshire Council’s director of children’s services, said:
“Our priority is to provide the best standard of education for all children across Shropshire. We have to give careful consideration to the longer term plans for securing effective and sustainable, high-quality provision for children in the Buildwas area. This consultation will help to inform our decision-making.”
Further information
- A school is placed in special measures when Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that “the school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education, and the people responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school”.
- When a school is judged to be in special measures, the local authority (LA) is required to produce a commentary and statement of action which outlines to Ofsted its plans for the school. This statement has to make clear what action the LA will take to improve rapidly the provision and outcomes for children currently at the school, plus the need to give careful consideration to the longer term plans for securing effective and sustainable provision for children in the area – either through a move to sponsored academy status or through school closure, with alternative school places offering better quality provision and outcomes for pupils.
- Buildwas Primary School is designated by the DfE as a rural school and therefore any case for closure has to be strong, and a proposal clearly in the best interests of education in the area.
As required, the full consultation proposal will therefore give detailed consideration to:
- likely effect of the discontinuance of the school on the local community
- the availability, and likely cost to the LA, of transport to other schools
- any increase in the use of motor vehicles which is likely to result from the discontinuance of the school
- the likely effects of any such increase and any alternatives to the discontinuance of the school.
