Parents protest to save Dunswell Primary School
BATTLING parents have stepped up the fight to save their school with a placard protest outside East Riding Council's headquarters.
The campaigning parents, who are fighting closure plans for Dunswell Primary School, staged their demonstration at County Hall in Beverley as the council's cabinet held a meeting yesterday.
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Save our school: Parents protesting outside County Hall, Beverley. Picture: Kate Woolhouse
Mother-of-five Julie Reed, who has three children at the school, said: "We are here because we want to raise awareness of the cause.
"We want to get everyone involved in this fight. It's not just for the school, it's for the community as a whole."
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East Riding Council is one of the worst-funded authorities in the country and is looking at how many schools it can justify maintaining.
Dunswell Primary is financially viable but 75 per cent of its 88 pupils come from outside the catchment area.
The council is now looking to shut the school in July 2014.
But campaigning parents have warned they will step up their fight to save the primary.
They will be back in Beverley for a march on Saturday, when they will hand in a petition, signed by more than 3,000 people, to County Hall.
Mrs Reed, who lives in Hull, said parents have been overwhelmed by support for their campaign. She said: "The amount of backing we have got is overwhelming.
"More than 3,000 people have signed the petition and we are still collecting names.
"We are being supported by businesses as well. Everyone wants to sign the petition."
Another parent, Richard McWatt, 37, whose four-year-old daughter is a pupil, said: "We live three doors away from the school. It is the heartbeat of the community.
"My little girl loves the school. The older kids look after the younger ones, you don't get that in bigger schools."
Mr McWatt, who has a health education business, said local businesses would also be affected if the council closes the school next year.
Ward councillors Ros Jump and Geraldine Mathieson joined residents at their protest yesterday.
Councillor Jump said: "I could understand the council wanting to close the school if it was failing or under-subscribed, but this is not the case.
"It should not matter that three quarters of the pupils are from Hull – education knows no boundaries.
"If people want their children to come to this school, it's not as if we do it for free or on the cheap – we get funding for each child."
Cllr Jump said the school is a vital part of the community.
She said: "It is part of the village, not an appendage.
"It also has a very good reputation and that's why I can't understand the council wanting to close it."
Cllr Mathieson said: "Ten years ago, the council wanted to close primary schools in Cottingham but they didn't and now they're thriving."
9 Comments
by minilynne
Sunday, March 03 2013, 8:30AM
“By the way, Woodmansey primary also has the same category ofsted grading as Dunswell primary, so hardly an argument there for improving standards.”
by Robin4Life
Thursday, February 28 2013, 1:27PM
“@willo
"these small primery schools are the mainstay of a community take them away and it is the death of a small village save there school"
Insert Shop, Pub, post office where you have small primary school and you will find that what you have said has been said already about all of these in small villages. People need to change their tune. It wont be the death of villages. Commuters are the death of villages and always have been”
by AdPotentia
Thursday, February 28 2013, 11:32AM
“This is one of the smallest schools in the county - until it shuts...
then the next one will be the smallest school and on and on.
Parnaby's greedy mob won't be happy until they shut most of them or put a ban on women having kids 'for the good of the taxpayer' of course.
Shame on the Greedy Lying Tories.”
by dickymac
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 7:23PM
“75 out of 88 is incorrect, it is high though at 75% but if we are to move to Woodmansey, as proposed, then that would be 100%.
With regards the quality of education, recently the East Riding Service Improvement team did an inspection and found the overall education levels to be 'good'. Ofsted inspectors get a snap shot of a school over one or two days, where teachers are under constant observation and pressure, which can result in an inaccurate overview. As is evident from the strength of feeling from all parents and children, the education at the school is good but beyond that is the special atmosphere that the school encourages and promotes, which will be lost. A child's education is much more than league tables and tick boxes, Dunswell recognise that.”
by DanDrimire
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 4:59PM
“"These small primary schools are the mainstay of a community, take them away and it is the death of a small village. Save their school."
There you are Willo .... I have corrected your post so that it is legible to others
I trust that the councillors will wave a copy of the School's latest Ofsted report in front of the parents and tell the protesters that it is difficult to justify saving ....
..... a school that has "room for improvement" in three out of the four areas it is judged on.
...... that has failed to take satisfactory steps to remedy these failings as found in a subsequent snap inspection.
...... a school that relies on children from outside the village to keep it going.
..... a school where the saving of the (ineffective) Head's salary alone would pay for the annual transporting of its children to other schools.
..... a school in which 75 of its 88 children arrive and leave by motor vehicle and so play no part in village life.”
by willo
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 10:40AM
“these small primery schools are the mainstay of a community take them away and it is the death of a small village save there school”
by David_Nivea
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 10:22AM
“"...education knows no boundaries."
Haha.”
by VicMay
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 10:05AM
“Ok ladies, hands up, who voted Tory at the last election? Have you got the support of your Tory MP? Well?”
by ice_warrior
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 8:44AM
“For years the east riding has mis managed the education organisation under thier care, mostly by ignoring schools completely, now thier hand is forced by the issue of finance and losing control of how schools are funded, aguably something that has been long overdue. The councillers are being shown up as bunglers of the highest order, what a mess!.”