Published: 31 January 2008
Possible Rural School Closures
Press reports over the past few days have highlighted the threat of possible rural school closures.
Although Government policy is a presumption against the closure of rural schools, some local authorities are reviewing the situation in the light of falling pupil numbers.
The Commission for Rural Communities is continuing to work with the Department for Children, Schools and Families and others to reinforce the evidence on the impact of school closures on rural communities.
Stuart Burgess, the CRC’s chair and the government's Rural Advocate, has responded to the press reports:
"The closure of village schools is not an attack on country life but a challenge to both central and local Government.
The Commission for Rural Communities has monitored the rate of closure of rural schools and has seen it fall from an average of 35 per year in the mid 1990s to around 5 per year in the past decade."
However, the current round of closures has brought into sharp focus the need for central Government to address funding, demographic changes, falling school rolls and the role that village schools play in their community.
For example, the current Department for Children, Schools and Families funding formula is not transparent and discriminates against rural schools because it does not fully take into account the additional cost of delivering accessible education in rural areas."
In the case of local Government declining pupil numbers mean they face difficult decisions with limited freedom of movement.
They have a responsibility to create sustainable rural communities which meet the changing needs of young and old alike and they need central Government support in managing finances flexibly to this end.
Given the current situation of rapidly falling pupil numbers we are concerned that rural schools do not bear the brunt of action to reduce surplus places and we urge the government to continue to maintain its commitment to both rural schools and rural communities."
Further information
Commission for Rural Communities
Teachernet - Closing rural schools
Teachernet, Falling school rolls
Closing a Maintained Mainstream School - A Guide for Local Authorities and Governing Bodies
Rural Advocate
Related article: Is Rural England facing a Future without Young People?
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