Campaigners’ ‘concern’ after councillors support two-tier school system

9:50am Thursday 9th July 2009

By Harry Hogger

CAMPAIGNERS suffered a setback after county councillors approved a proposal aimed at creating a two-tier schools system in Purbeck.

Middle school headteachers and parents from the area attended a cabinet meeting at Dorset County Council yesterday to make their objections known.

The council’s director of children’s services John Nash told the meeting that the area’s schools have a ‘significant surplus’ of places that could be addressed by moving away from the current three-tier system.

He said: “We basically have a revenue problem and we need to make a capital investment.

“The council has already set aside £20million to put into Purbeck schools but it would be unwise to invest it in a structure that’s not sustainable.”

Mr Nash added that switching to a two-tier system could prevent under-attended schools in the area having to close in the future.

Objecting to the proposal, the chairman of Purbeck Middle School’s Parents Action Group Andy Kent questioned how the transfer would be funded.

He said: “If for example the council had to borrow £50million to get through these changes, it’s going to cost us £87.5million in order to borrow that sum over the next 25 years.

Also voicing his objection was the headteacher of Swanage Middle School Dave Pratten, who described the council’s research as ‘at worst, a gross deception’. He added: “I’m very concerned about the funding because there seem to be a lot of ifs, buts and maybes to it all.”

Replying to the teachers’ comments, council leader Angus Campbell said he understood the strength of local feeling and people’s ‘obvious loyalties’.

But he added: “This is not the final say – it’s the start of moving on to the next stage of consultation.

“I’m also disappointed that people have criticised the officers and the work that they have done.”

He also said there were ‘no forgone conclusions’ about the outcome of the continuing consultation process.

Councillors voted in favour of an ‘in principle’ decision to move to a two-tier schooling system in Purbeck.

They also approved Sandford St Martin School becoming part of Lytchett Minster’s school scheme and Northport becoming part of Lady St Mary’s School’s catchment area.

Councillors voted in favour of running a second consultation in Wool and Swanage to determine exactly how a two-tier system would work.

After the meeting, Mr Kent said: “The most positive thing that has come from today’s meeting is that there will be other opportunities to put our arguments forward. This isn’t the end.”