Sussex schools told they will close

6:42am Friday 29th February 2008

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Three schools have been earmarked for closure and another eight told they will be merged under a radical reorganisation.

Staff and parents from 20 schools were left reeling yesterday after West Sussex County Council revealed plans for the latest stage of restructuring.

The announcement follows less than a month after a warning that schools faced cuts because of a population dip.

The scheme also includes the creation of a new academy.

Jenny Chapman, the headteacher of Rogate CE Primary, near Midhurst, said she was devastated at the news her school faced closure.

Mrs Chapman said: "This is incredibly bad news. We are a village school and this will have a huge impact on the whole area.

"Without a school there is not much left for the village. We will fight it with every resource we have."

The reorganisation plan will affect hundreds of children around Petworth, Midhurst, Pulborough and the surrounding villages where the latest changes have been proposed.

The council said the changes were necessary to create a system of primary and secondary schools in the area, rather than the existing mix of infant, first, intermediate and secondaries which have age ranges out of step with the rest of the country.

In the last decade it has carried out similar restructuring around both the Crawley and Adur districts.

Worthing will be the only area in West Sussex to still have first and middle schools after the reorganisation and the council has no immediate plans to make changes there.

The council has admitted the move would cut running costs by reducing the number of staff and building maintenance required.

In a brochure sent to parents Mark Dunn, the council's cabinet member for children and young people's services, said: "I believe that the proposals in this document set out how we can best achieve a first class system of education for your children that will support individual learning and the wider community."

As well as closing Rogate, the council has proposed to close Herbert Shiner Intermediate School in Petworth.

It would become part of a new academy for 11 to 18-year-olds also replacing Midhurst Intermediate School and Midhurst Grammar School, where it will be built.

The venture would be sponsored by church schools' group the United Learning Trust.

The council has also proposed to merge four pairs of schools.

Rake CE First and Hollycombe Primary would join together, as would Midhurst CE Primary and Stedham Primary, Graffham Infants and Duncton School, and Petworth CE Primary and Northchapel Community Primary.

The four new schools will be primaries, taking pupils aged four to 11.

All eight school sites will continue to be used, with classes being based at each but each pair will have a single headteacher and board of governors.

The council has proposed that another seven schools will extend their age range, finishing at 11 instead of ten.

They are St Mary and St Paul CE First in South Harting, Camelsdale First, Fernhurst Primary, Easebourne CE First, Bury CE First, St James CE Primary in Coldwaltham and Fittleworth CE First.

A separate consultation has already been launched to consider closing West Lavington CE First school near Midhurst in August.

Mrs Chapman said the proposals could destroy the good work put in at Rogate over many years.

She said: "We were visited by Ofsted recently and told we were a good school with several outstanding features - and now the council want to close us down.

"We've built up a good staff and what would happen to them? The parents here are furious, I know at least one has already put up a banner opposing the closure."

Councillor Morwen Milson, the leader of the opposition on West Sussex County Council, said she was in favour of bringing schools into line with the national model but voiced her concerns about the closures.

She said: "A school is the heart of a community and I certainly wouldn't want to see any school closed in a village without it being thought through very hard."

The council said children from Rogate could go to other schools at South Harting, Rake or Hollycombe.

It has set up a series of public consultation meetings in the area to be held next month. One will be held in Rogate on Thursday March 6, at 7pm.

Parents, teachers and communities will have until Tuesday April 8 to make their feelings on the plans known while an official consultation is carried out.

Mr Dunn will finalise his proposals in May, starting a statutory notification period and a final decision is expected in September.

Any changes will come into effect in September 2010.

For more informationand consultation meeting dates visit wsgfl.westsussex.gov.uk.