SOS - Save Our Schools!

Councillor Alan Wells will be on the Phone-In Again Tomorrow (Thursday 3rd July).

Tune in to Isle of Wight Radio at 12pm.

The phone number to call in is 822002.

Statutory Consultation on Education Reform starts this week.

In addition to meetings at every Island school, beginning with those to be closed, amalgamated or federated, there is a series of meetings for parents to get information from officers and make representations about the shake-up.

The formal consultation period begins on Monday 23 June and lasts until Friday 26 September at 5pm. Representations can be made in writing to Alex Moffat, School Reorganisation Project Manager, Isle of Wight Council, County Hall, Newport, PO30 1UD or via email to moving.forward@iow.gov.uk

Meeting Dates and Locations

• Tuesday, June 24, 6.30-8pm, Cowes High School (for parents of Solent Middle, Somerton Middle and Cowes High students.
• Thursday, June 26, 6.30-8pm, Sandown High (Lake Middle, Forelands Middle, Sandham Middle, Sandown High).
• Friday, June 27, 6.30pm-8pm, Osborne Middle (East Cowes Primary, Whippingham Primary, Osborne Middle).
• Wednesday, July 2, 6.30-8pm, meetings at Chale, St Helens and Weston primary schools
• Thursday, July 3, 7-9pm, Cowes Yacht Haven public meeting.
  
• Wednesday, July 9, 6.30-8pm, Carisbrooke High School (West Wight Middle, Nodehill Middle, Carisbrooke High).
  
• Wednesday, July 9, 6.30-8pm, Medina High School (Downside Middle, Kitbridge Middle, Medina High).
  
• Thursday, July 10, 7-9pm, Cowes Yacht Haven public meeting.
• Wednesday, July 16, 6.30-8pm, Ryde High School (Bishop Lovett Middle, Mayfield Middle, Swanmore Middle, Ryde High).
  
• Monday, July 21, 6.30-8pm, Ventnor Middle (Wroxall Primary, Chillerton and Rookley Primary, Godshill Primary, Ventnor Middle).

Presumably there are more meetings to come as some areas such as Sandown Bay seem to have been missed out.

For more details, view the Eduwight website.

Well the time has almost come for the latest news and “ideas” from the Council officers about which schools should stay or go.

We have received many emails from people including teaching staff and governors who have attended the confidential meetings that have been taking place over the last month (and believe me, they are not happy!), but have chosen to respect their privacy and have not posted any leaked information.

We believe that the parents of pupils that attend Gatten & Lake primary school in Shanklin have been sent out a letter from the Head Teacher saying that their school is to stay open, despite having a “less than Good” Ofsted report, and there have been rumours that Brading Primary might also be “saved” despite only scoring 13 on the Matrix scoring system - the 3rd lowest score out of all the Primary and Middle schools.

Of course this could all just be rumours - we will not know the full story until Friday. Check back tomorrow when we will post up the latest information as soon as the Council announce it.

The Isle of Wight Council is organising a series of meetings from Monday 28 April as part of the latest phase of its education reforms.

Eight meetings will be held across the Island where representatives from individual schools, pre-schools and governing bodies will be invited.

It was on 19 March this year that councillors voted to take forward an option that will see a new two-tier educational structure on the Isle of Wight phased in from September 2010. The meetings are an opportunity to look at several possible implications of the decision for the local area in the light of representations provided by schools and the public.

Suggestions and comments made during the individual meetings are a key part in forming the final report, which may mean potential options for individual areas could change by the time the report is presented to Cabinet. Those attending will also be given the chance to give representations to the council. Union representatives will be invited as observers.

A report on the next phase of the council’s reorganisation plans will be presented to the Cabinet on 3 June with formal public consultation beginning soon after.

The report itself will be published on the council’s website, www.iwight.com, on 23 May. This report will reveal the latest modelling, including a revised list of school locations.

Isle of Wight Council Director of Children’s Services Steve Beynon said:

“As part of our commitment to keep those working in schools and pre-schools informed of the latest regarding the proposals, we are organising these private meetings before the publication of the final report. Members of the public will get another chance to have their say over the summer when formal consultation begins. Details of this will be revealed over the coming weeks.

The modelling of the structure councillors chose to take forward is continuing as I speak and we will consider all comments and views that come out of the meetings. We have already revised some of our proposals following representations made by both schools and the public during the informal consultation.“

Standards-Not-Tiers would like to thank everyone who braved the rain to march for what we all know is right.

I know that it will be very late in the day but would you all please please please make an extra special effort to come to County Hall on Wednesday evening. Fred Dineage - ITV Meridian presenter is coming over to do their news programme live from the reception area at County Hall and he will talk to any of us that would like to tell the rest of the South what we think of the Council…no obscenities though!

The BBC are also planning to do the same although I don’t know who they are sending. This is a chance for all of us to make our voices heard before the council rise rough-shod over the democratic process.

Please, one last effort. All the group leaders should be there and we are planning to ask some very awkward questions of the council. This will be a historic moment. We must not let Pugh & Co think we have given up…no matter what happens it’s not over!

As the official council vote draws near, one ultimate protest to dissuade those errant, indecisive councillors from making the wrong decision will take place on Saturday 15th March 2008.

Meeting at Church Litten Park, Newport, at 10.30 am, we will depart at 11am sharp, walking through the town and along the High Street towards County Hall. Once there we will present the Wall of Protest - showing the depth of emotion felt by each and every school present, towards the council’s irrational decision to slaughter so many of our superb island schools under the disguise of ‘educational improvement’!

Please continue reading the rest of this entry for full details including a map of the route. (Updated 06/03/08)

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The date has been set for the next march! The march will be on Saturday 15th March - the weekend before the Councillors vote on which option will be chosen.

Details are still to be confirmed, and they will be published here after we have spoken to the police to check that they are happy. We are looking to do a march in Newport (perhaps similar to the Shanklin one), finishing up outside County Hall like the original event.

This is our last chance to show them that they need to listen to the people - we are all opposed to these options and the closures that go along with them.

So please write the date in your diary, spread the word and get loads of people to come!

Update: Please click here for full details of the march.

Isle of Wight Council is advising any members of the public who are planning on attending this week’s meeting of the Full Council on Wednesday 20th February to arrive in plenty of time

Because of strict health and safety legislation, space will be limited.

There will be seating in the public gallery, although some of these will be reserved for those who have submitted questions to be asked on the night. The remaining seats in the gallery will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

The council is also making efforts to provide extra seating on the night.

This Full Council meeting will include discussion of the motion proposed by Cllr Patrick Joyce.

VentnorBlog will be covering the meeting live.

Following up from the earlier announcement that you can send in your questions for the School Minister Jim Knight to the BBC for their upcoming politics program on Sunday, I have been informed that the BBC have come to the Island to interview children and parents at St. John’s CE Primary School in Sandown.

Don’t forget to watch the Politics Show this Sunday (17th) 12-1pm on BBC1.

Chris Welsford and David Whistance from Standards-Not-Tiers will be on the Isle of Wight Radio Phone-In this Thursday (14th).

This Phone-In will not be held with Alex Dyke, instead it will be presented by Ian Mac who has supported the SOS campaign since the start. It will be interesting to have campaigners on the Phone-In who are opposed to the proposed educational reform plans on the radio as there have not been any on since before the main rally at County Hall.

Tune in to Isle of Wight Radio at 12pm.

The phone number to call in is 822002.

There will be an SOS meeting for parents and friends of Gatten & Lake School on Thursday 14th Feb 5.30 - 7.00pm.

PLEASE come along to this meeting to support Gatten & Lake.

Governors are invited to make representation to the council regarding saving their individual schools this summer, so if you want the school to stay open come along and put some arguments forward to the governing body.

Lack of support will mean closure, so come along and give the school a fighting chance!

Update: This protest is now planned to be in silence, please click here for updated details.

The next major protest rally will be on this Saturday (February 9th 2008) in Shanklin, which is the ward for Councillor Pugh.

Meeting up at the car park of Shanklin Train Station from 2pm, the march will depart at 2.30pm, heading along Regent Street - which is the main thoroughfare and shopping area - encircling the Conservative Club, returning along the same route and briefly stopping off via Clarendon Road, finishing at the Train Station.

We are expecting to see almost double the amount of support shown at Newport.

Please bring as many banners as you can muster, and school children in uniform.

We look forward to seeing you at the march TO PROTECT THE FUTURE OF OUR SCHOOLS AND OUR RURAL WAY OF LIFE!

Remember, Apathy gets us nowhere. People Power has worked in Shropshire and is working here too!

Click here to download a poster to spread the word and get us many people there as possible!

Although the rally in Shanklin (Cllr David Pugh’s Ward) on Saturday will be passing near to Pugh’s home, we will not be marching down Spring Gardens past his house as we respect that he has a personal and private life and this is a strictly peaceful protest.