Closing two Shropshire primary schools is 'necessary'
A plan which will see two rural schools close has been recommended for approval by council officers.
Shropshire Council's cabinet is expected to approve a paper which will lead to the start of formal consultation over the amalgamation of Hope CE Primary School, Worthen CE Primary School and St Mary's CE Primary School, Westbury.
The plans would result in the closure of both Westbury and Hope schools, and the enlargement of the Worthen site so it can accommodate the extra pupils.
Chirbury and Worthen Councillor Heather Kidd said the closure plans, which had been suggested by governing bodies of the schools, were "sad but necessary".
Councillor Kidd said that until the problem of affordable countryside housing for young families was tackled, small schools would struggle for pupils.
She said: "It is very sad but more than anything else it is sad for the community.
"It is necessary but I am sad that is is necessary.
"We have to do something about housing young families affordably in the countryside.
"What with travel and everything else they cannot afford to buy four and five bedroom houses in the countryside where they want to live.
"We have just got to look at this a bit more sensibly and allow more small two and three bedroom houses to be built."
St Mary's and Worthen were both rated as "requires improvement" in recent Ofsted inspections and the council says Hope, due for inspection in October, "is vulnerable to an unfavourable Ofsted outcome, given the rapidly declining pupil numbers, the impact on their budget and the difficulty in maintaining the current staffing levels."
The council report says: "Continuing to run schools that, in both Ofsted and local authority assessment terms, are failing to provide a good standard of education does not provide value for money."
The recommendation will be considered by Shropshire Council's cabinet on September 28.
