A gathering cloud of rural school closures threatens still in England with LEAs like Staffordshire and Cheshire proposing wholesale closures of the precise kind the Government said in circular 110/98 it wished to outlaw. Similar large-scale reorganisation threatens to engulf the countryside in both Scotland and Wales as the respective governments refuse the protection afforded in England by “the presumption against closure” introduced by the Blair Government in 1998. The threat in Scotland and Wales is driven by tired old economic arguments that do not stand the test of serious economic analysis. As previously in England those using such out-dated arguments ignore the broader perspectives available. Worse, papers advancing closure proposals are seriously unbalanced, favouring the preferred view that small schools are detrimental to children’s best interests. Decision-makers, and many parents, have been wilfully mis-led. NASS recognises that the message of virtue and potential is influencing the upper reaches of political power, provoking fresh thought and new vision. As recent activity in Wales and Scotland argues, we need to work together and be vigilant.

Politicians and the professionals who advise them eager to close schools invariably tell parents and local people that the children will in fact be better off in larger schools, especially if new building is involved. They are seriously WRONG:

The booklet contains seven pages of hard facts and cogent arguments demonstrating the success of small schools both educationally and for their rich community roles. It explores new community imperatives related to schools as part of rural sustainability and looks more creatively at alternative financial perspectives. It concludes with these nine goals:

1. To endorse and strengthen “the Presumption against Closure” provided in England and recently argued in an e-petition received by the Scottish Parliament and endorsed by both the Scottish Conservative and Scottish Nationalist Parties, with similar sympathies among Welsh Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

2 To encourage stronger guidance from central political Parties to their local Parties to resolve present sharp contradictions in policy and belief, and so that a common core of perceived and agreed values is respected notwithstanding the force of particular local needs.

3. To encourage a similarly stronger central set of positive, constructive principles within the Church of England, via the National Society under whose auspices so many schools were opened and now remain in partnership with local authorities. The Roman Catholic community needs similar encouragement, not least with its strong urban presence.

4. To remove the unfilled places problem from financial inducements for refurbishing and replacing buildings as this imposes unfair, irreconcilable pressures on local policy-makers. This would then open radical, new, community-oriented scope for a more creative response to the problem.

5. To secure better rights of appeal than exist currently, even in England.

6. To ensure legally adequate consultation on closure and related reorganisation proposals. The under-developed practice of what is deemed statutory consultation makes a mockery of concepts of adequacy that have already been well-defined in legal precedent in England. Lord Justice Mann has set the rules as cited above and failing other legal precedent these should be better known and understood.

7. To seek review and revision of the emerging practice of Cabinet governance at Local Authority level and secure new guidance effectively vesting in democratically elected members of full County and other relevant Councils the final power of recommendation regarding the always controversial matter of small and rural school closures.

8. To better articulate and promote existing examples of effective practice and radical new vision described in this document whilst identifying the undoubted many other examples to be found in the UK.

mbenford@bigfoot.com

The full leaflet may be obtained from: NASS, Cloudshill, Shutford OX15 6PQ price £5 incl. p&p - Tel: 01295 780225. Alternatively you can enrol and ask for a free copy.