Eglingham School governors bid to prevent closure

Jul 10 2009 by Brian Daniel, The Journal

GOVERNORS at a Northumberland school are taking steps to try to prevent its closure.

Eglingham First School, near Alnwick, has seen pupil numbers fall in recent years to the current 18, because families are moving away from the area.

Governors have calculated the school needs 20 children to keep it viable and to maintain the level of social interaction for pupils.

They took the step of writing to residents in the catchment area informing them that the school’s future is uncertain and providing a document setting out why. The governors also called a meeting to give local people the opportunity to come forward with ideas for ensuring the future of the school, and offer practical help.

Around 50 people attended, including local councillors. Governor Helen Osmond said: “Our pupil numbers are dropping, we wanted to alert the community to the fact that the school would be under threat in future.

“It is not in imminent danger of closing.

“We wanted the local community to know we needed to do something now to prevent closure in the future.”

It was agreed at the meeting that the feasibility of setting up a private nursery at the site should be looked into, as should whether wraparound care could be provided, and whether public transport could be improved.

The governors are now planning to send out a questionnaire to people in the surrounding area to establish how many children live locally.