September 2004

Press Releases

     WESTMINSTER FILE

 6th September 2004

BOB WALTER MP TO MEET PARENTS COUNCILLORS AND RESIDENTS ON MILTON ABBAS SCHOOL CLOSURE

Robert Walter MP ( North Dorset ) will tonight at 7.30pm (Monday 6^th September) meet with parents, parish councillors and concerned residents on the subject of the closure of Milton Abbas School , as part of the reorganisation of the Dunbury School Federation. He will be joined at the meeting in the Reading Room in Milton Abbas by local Dorset County Councillor, Hilary Cox, who is also a Cabinet member at County Hall.

During the discussions about the structure of primary schools in the reorganised Blandford catchment area, the governors of the Dunbury federation of schools decided that for both financial and educational reasons they would have to close one of their four village school bases. The decision was taken to close the base at Milton Abbas from next September, 2005.

The Dunbury Federation, which was the first such arrangement in the country, consists of four village first schools at Milton Abbas, Winterborne Whitechurch, Winterborne Kingston and Winterborne Stickland. The Federation was set up in 1993 as a solution to the inevitable closure of small unsustainable village schools. The school is now a model for similar schemes elsewhere in the country and has a very high academic reputation.

In the last few years pupil numbers have been falling from over 200 in 1997 to just 141 at the latest count. With these numbers the school is losing money and the governors have felt compelled to take action. With the support of the local education authority they have decided the only option is to close the base at Milton Abbas.

Before the meeting, Bob Walter said:

“The Dunbury Federation is an exemplar of the very best in rural primary education. The four base solution was pioneering and educationally has been a great success. The governors faced with falling numbers have had to make a difficult decision.

“I have great sympathy with those in Milton Abbas who see their village school closing. I hope from tonight’s meeting we can find a way forward that can be sent to the Schools Organisation Committee who meet later this month to take the final decision”