Campaigners have called for the consultation on the closure of Chiltern Edge School to be shut down.
The school in Sonning Common has been threatened with closure after it was placed in special measures due to an “inadequate” Ofsted report in April.
The calls follow a meeting between Oxfordshire County Council and Reading Borough Council at county hall in Oxford on Tuesday.
In a joint statement, the authority’s leaders Ian Hudspeth and Jo Lovelock said they would work together to find a solution to keep the school open.
This prompted parents Charlie Holloway and Gemma Levy, who set up the “Save Our Edge” campaign, to call on the councils to stop the consultation on closure due to the uncertainty it was creating.
They said: “At a public meeting on Monday both local MPs (Rob Wilson & John Howell), Sonning Common Parish Council and Reading Borough Council all publicly stated their opposition to closure and their commitment to keep the school open.
“Now OCC council leader Ian Hudspeth has also stated he wishes to find a solution to keep the school open.
“We believe that keeping the consultation running is placing unfair pressure on parents, students and teachers.
“Parents with children happy at the school are being pressured into removing their children from the school under threat of closure against their wishes, and staff are under pressure to look for other jobs for the benefit of their career.
“We accept the Ofsted report and already improvements have been made at Chiltern Edge.
“In addition the new interim head is due to produce a full action plan after the half term to state exactly how the school will be improved.
“Given these facts, the strong local opposition and the presumption always against closure of a rural school we find it unacceptable that the county council would continue with this consultation and cause the students at the school the unnecessary stress and upset over the half term.
“The county council’s time and effort would be much better spent helping the new Interim Executive Board and interim head implement the improvements.
“Given these facts and the public statement from all parties to keep the school open we call on Ian Hudspeth to end the consultation immediately.”
The consultation on potential closure of the school, run by the county council, is set to close on June 30.
Both councils are working with the regional schools commissioner Martin Post to try and find the school an academy sponsor. This is the only alternative to closure.
Councillor Hudspeth said they were aware of how highly the school was regarded by local families.
He said: “This was a very constructive meeting and it is clear we all want to find a solution that will enable the school to stay open.
“The key issue above all else, is how we can improve the education of children who live in both Oxfordshire and Reading.
“We’re well aware of the strength of feeling around this issue and the high regard in which the school is held by local families, despite the recent Ofsted report. I would urge anyone who has not already done so, to take part in the consultation.”
Councillor Lovelock said improvements were needed for the benefit of current and future pupils.
She said: “No one wants to see the school close, but there must be a solution which delivers the improvements Ofsted have said are necessary.
“This is about finding a way to improve the education of children – not just those currently attending Chiltern Edge, but those who might attend in the future.
“I was very pleased to meet with colleagues in Oxfordshire to discuss these issues, and both our councils are continuing to work closely together during the consultation period to identify potential options to keep the school open.”
About 200 parents, students and residents attended a public meeting on Monday organised by the “Save Our Edge” campaign.
At the meeting interim headteacher Moira Green spoke for the first time publicly and said the school would be attractive to academy sponsors.
She said: “They are under pressure to grow from the Department of Education. They are not viable unless they have 20 schools or a certain number of pupils. They have an obligation to grow.
“There will be academy chains that want to take this school on. There is a number of chains in Oxfordshire and Reading.
“There are some things that might not make the school very attractive but I am confident that by the time I start next term we will have a set budget.
“I know I can do that and have started work on that. For sponsors who want to make a name for themselves, this is a quick win. With the right leadership and support we can make a quick difference here.”
Article originally published by Henley Standard
