A petition has been started on the Isle of Wight, in a bid to save Ryde's St Mary's Catholic Primary School from closure. 

Elsewhere, in this week's newsletter, Cowes Primary School head, Stephanie Praetig, said: "I would like to reassure you no decision has been taken yet and it is business as usual.

"We will continue to provide the best possible education for your child within our fabulous Cowes community and I would like to thank you for your continued support for our amazing school." 

Meanwhile, Wroxall Primary's head, Lynn Torrance, said: "I know that this information will be unsettling but please be assured that the earliest point that any changes could be made would be September 2024. We remain fully committed to supporting the best outcomes for all children and their families."

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The schools are among four which could be closed after consultation, under a plan to tackle surplus school places.

The St Mary's primary petition, launched by Roisin Mullins-Jacobs, and which has already gathered hundreds of signatures, reads: "The school currently has 212 happy primary and preschool pupil.  

"St. Mary's School is the only Catholic primary school in Ryde. It is also one of only four exclusively Catholic primary schools on the Isle of Wight.

"Holy Cross, [East] Cowes is 8.6 miles away, St. Thomas of Canterbury, Newport is 10.2 miles, and St. Saviours, Totland Bay, is 21.1 miles.

"Closure of the school would be damaging to every child and staff member, as well as negatively impacting the Ryde and Catholic communities as a whole." 

What has prompted consideration of the closures?

  • There are 39 primary schools on the Isle of Wight and 1,379 reception places - the equivalent of 46 classes.
  • For 2022/23 there were 213 vacant reception places - the equivalent of seven classes.
  • A primary school gets just over £4,023 for each pupil on roll so if places are vacant, funds are stretched thinner.
  • The Isle of Wight is five per cent over the suggested vacancy rate.
  • It is estimated there would be £856,951 in additional funding if there were no vacant reception places in 2022/23.
  • There has been a fall in birth rates on the Island, reflecting the national trend.
  • The council predicts the number of primary school children will fall from 9,200 in 2017 to around 8,000 by 2025. 

Elsewhere, Chillerton and Rookley Primary would be amalgamated with Godshill Primary from January 1, 2024.

On June 8, the Isle of Wight Council's cabinet members will decide whether or not to launch a consultation. Meetings would follow and the eventual outcome could result in the schools' closures.

A consultation would need to be completed with parents/carers, staff and leaders, governors of the affected schools and the wider community, to start in the autumn and Cowes, Wroxall and St Mary's primaries would not close before September 2024.

The consultation would last a minimum of six weeks, while the amalgamation of Chillerton and Rookley primary with Godshill, which has already gone through a previous consultation, would be sooner.

Isle of Wight Council insists families will still be able to access alternative schools within five-miles, if the proposals are agreed.