Option for threatened Maesbury Primary School
Saturday 5th March 2011, 11:22AM GMT.
Campaigners fighting to save a Shropshire primary school threatened with closure have been urged to consider links with a neighbouring school.
A lifeline for Maesbury Primary School was suggested at a meeting at the school yesterday, which was attended by North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson.
Mr Paterson said he believed the idea of forming a “hard federation” with nearby Morda Primary School would be one of the school’s best chances of surviving.
Under the arrangement, the two schools would continue to be run separately with their own budgets but would share a single governing body. It would also allow the schools to share resources such as teachers if they chose to do so.
It differs from a “soft federation”, which sees the schools keep their own governing bodies, with a separate committee set up to make joint decisions on behalf of all the schools in a partnership.
Mr Paterson is calling for an early meeting between the heads and governors of both the primary schools and a senior council official to discuss the suggestion. And he is also urging the Maesbury community to attend the public consultation meeting at the school on March 17.
Mr Paterson said: “The hard federation option with Morda Primary School is within the consultation documents and I would urge people to look seriously at Councillor Barrow’s suggestion to look at that route.
“This is not a black and white decision, whether to close or not to close. The alternative of federating is one that should be given serious consideration by those at both schools as it could have advantages for everyone.”
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How about building a new school between the two and closing both.
Shropshire seems to be years behind other areas in closing small rural schools. In areas where there is no option but to place a school in isolation, the Western Isles for example, small rural schools are necessary but where there is another school a couple of mile down the road keeping two small schools open is a nonsense.
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Why is keeping open two small, successful schools a nonsense?
Small schools very often provide the circumstances that many parents wish for their children….maybe, god forbid, the same circumstances that wealthier parents are seeking when they choose to place their children into fee-paying schools.
Maybe small schools cost a little more per pupil than large schools where many staff don’t know many of the children – so what?
We’ve saved the banks, we’ve saved the car industry, we’re ploughing money from our own pockets into the pockets of the shareholders of British Gas, BP and BT. Why can’t we just put a little into the future of these young children and their communities?
What’s more, I’m not aware of any reason why children in state-maintained schools shouldn’t have small class sizes in a local school – and all the benefits that brings.
I can’t think of one.
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This is not about saving schools this about Patterson’s friendships
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I have noticed that, he even drops names in this article
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The moderator is obviously a tory, my boyfriend’s communication has been removed
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