Shropshire school's class sizes cut thanks to large donation from local family
Class sizes at a Shropshire village primary school have been cut thanks to a large donation from a local family towards staffing costs.
Local authority funding formulae would normally result in class sizes of more than 30 children.
But pupils at St John the Baptist Primary School & Nursery, in Ruyton-XI-Towns, are in classes in the low 20s - well below the national and local average - after receiving a £35,000 donation from local farmers WH Gittins & Sons.
The school and nursery was rated 'good' overall and 'outstanding' for its early years nursery provision in an Ofsted report published earlier this year.
Simon Gittins, the farm’s managing partner, said: “Our family have been farming in the village for 120 years and in that time we have had 22 direct family attend the school including my father John, myself, our three daughters and, in reception, our niece Heidi.
“We feel very fortunate to have such an amazing school on our doorstep, it has provided our kids with a first class educational grounding, excellent sporting opportunities and a unique holistic environment that set them up perfectly for secondary education.
“We feel it absolutely vital that children get the best possible start in life. Seeing the children being taught in small groups and getting more ‘teacher time’ is a very satisfying direct result of our donation.
Grateful
“It really is a great school and I would urge prospective parents to visit the school, experience the atmosphere and see all the wonderful opportunities that the children have.”
Julie Ball, the school’s executive headteacher, said: “We are extremely grateful to the Gittins family for the support they have shown us. It is an incredibly generous act, which is having a positive impact on all the children at our school.
“Smaller class sizes are enormously beneficial to pupil development. The children are at the heart of every decision we take, so we are thankful that we have been able to support them in this way.”
Keith Lister, chairman of the school’s governing body, hopes the investment will also encourage other parents from the areas around Ruyton-XI-Towns to consider the school for their own children
He said: “We are very fortunate to have some exceptional facilities that are among the very best in the area.
"The school building itself is less than 20 years old and was superbly designed to provide the perfect environment for nursery and primary school education.
“It really is a wonderful school with a broad curriculum that helps set children up for the next stage of their education and instils strong values that can serve them throughout the rest of their life."
