FIGHT TO SAVE OUR SCHOOLS IN SHROPSHIRE

Many local communities in Shropshire may soon have another fight on our hands, a fight to save our local schools.

In October I met county council education chiefs, with Owen Paterson MP for North Shropshire, to discuss their current consultation on a new policy for primary schools in rural areas.

Of 141 schools in Shropshire 56 primary schools are in the Ludlow constituency, most of which are small schools with fewer than four classes serving rural communities. Many of these could potentially be at risk from falling school rolls.

The county council is undertaking a quick consultation to try to decide how best to preserve the balance between local provision and viable quality of education in our rural schools. They are proposing a change in policy based around no child having to travel more than six miles to school. This is naturally causing anxiety amongst many parents, teachers and school governors in village schools less than six miles from another.

So what exactly is the problem? Shropshire only gets £3,551 per pupil from central government compared with £3,880 per pupil in England on average. That places it 5th from bottom in funding of all 149 local education authorities in England. But the cost of providing education is often higher in rural areas - one simple example is cost of school transport, clearly higher given the distance travelled.

The other problem is demographic. Fewer children are born in Shropshire each year as younger families are unable to afford housing.
At the same time the proportion of retired people rises each year through improvements in health care and Shropshire’s charms as a place to retire.

This demographic double whammy is a financial time bomb for Shropshire’s education service, whichever political administration is in power.

So what can be done? I am lobbying Ministers for a fairer funding allocation for Shropshire schools. I have already raised it directly with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

I have surveyed all schools to ask for the facts about their situation so they can prepare themselves for the lobbying effort in case this is needed.

Early in November Owen Paterson and I met County County Council Leader Cllr Malcolm Pate and Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Education Cllr Ann Hartley at Shirehall with education officials again to consider initial feedback from the consultation.

We had a constructive meeting at which I explained the very real concerns which this policy consultation is raising for the future of smaller schools in rural areas in Shropshire. Fair funding for Shropshire’s schools by central government would remove any threat to close our village schools. In the absence of a fairer deal, the County Council agreed to look at whether amalgamation of adjacent junior and infant schools could achieve the savings required, together with federating some village schools where heads are retiring or moving on.

It was revealed that Shropshire’s funding per pupil next year will be £12.7 million short of what it would be if Shropshire received the average funding per pupil in England.

There should be no school closures without full local consultation. The county council have committed to this, but they also need to include parental choice as a key criterion when determining this new policy.

I have also received assurances from the county council that it will hold meetings in both Bridgnorth and in South Shropshire areas during the next phase of any consultation period, so the voice of local people naturally concerned about their local schools can be heard.