Six Island primary schools are at risk of closure, the Isle of Wight Council has confirmed, as it looks to tackle the issue of surplus pupil numbers.

Cowes, Arreton, Oakfield, Brading, Wroxall and Godshill primary schools are all under threat.

Before a final decision on closures is made, a consultation process is due to follow, pending approval from the council's Cabinet.

Any closures are likely to take effect from August 31 next year.

Having too many empty seats and not enough pupils to fill them has a "stark and severe" financial impact, the council has warned.

For every surplus place, schools lose more than £4,500, affecting resources, opportunities and the quality of education children receive.

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According to the council, by March 2027, 22 Island primary schools may face budget deficits, potentially amounting to a cumulative £7.4 million or more.

What's proposed?

The council is proposing to consult on the following options:

  • Cowes: Closure of Cowes Primary School with pupils able to join Gurnard Primary School (or to preference an alternative school). Blackberry Lane Pre-School would remain at the current site and offered the option of expanding utilising part of the school.
  • Newport: Closure of Arreton CE Primary School with pupils able to join Barton Primary School (or to preference an alternative school). St George’s Nursery and Pre-School would remain at the current site and offered the option of expanding utilising part of the school.
  • Ryde Town: Closure of Oakfield CE Primary School with pupils able to join Greenmount or St Mary’s Catholic primary schools (or to preference an alternative school).
  • Sandown and Shanklin: Closure of Brading CE Primary School with pupils able to join The Bay or St Helens primary schools (or to preference an alternative school).
  • Ventnor: Closure of Wroxall Primary school with pupils able to join St Francis Primary School (or to preference an alternative school).
  • Ventnor: Closure of Godshill Primary School with pupils able to join Niton or St Francis primary schools (or to preference an alternative school).

A reduction in the Published Admissions Number (PAN) is also proposed for consultation at: The Bay CE School (from 60 to 45) and Greenmount (from 60 to 45).

What happens next?

The council's cabinet will meet on September 12 to decide whether to approve a consultation period on proposed closures.

If agreed, the consultation would run from September 20 to November 1 and a series of meetings would take place in affected schools.

A report outlining responses would go before Cabinet in December to decide whether to proceed to a formal consultation phase.

If approved, a statutory Public Notice would be published and members of the public would have four weeks to make representations.

A final report would go before Cabinet in March 2025 and closures are proposed to take effect from August 31 next year.

Cllr Jonathan Bacon, cabinet member for children’s services, said: “Our results are extremely poor in comparison to other areas and have been for many years. We must do better.

"The first step is to acknowledge the problem. With our new education department, which is focussed solely on Island children, we have been able to do that. This is essential so that we can now work to address the issue rather than side-stepping it, as has been the case for too long.

“As has been made clear, we have serious structural challenges, including, most urgently, the oversupply of places in primary schools.

“Following what the data tells us means we are facing some incredibly difficult decisions on reducing the number of school places across the Island. This is the only way to ensure that we can minimise the long-term negative impact on the Island’s education.”

A children's services 'partnership' between the Isle of Wight Council and Hampshire County Council ended back in February, after a decade.

Since taking over, the council's children's services team say they have visited every Island school and worked closely with head teachers and governors.

Previous attempts to tackle the issue of surplus places saw the council criticised for publicly naming at risk schools early in the process.

This time round, a series of public drop-ins for parents and staff have been held in advance, as well as plans to launch a formal consultation.