MPs CAMPAIGN TO SAVE VILLAGE SCHOOLS

6.00.00pm GMT Tue 2nd Feb 2010

The Minster for Schools, Vernon Coaker, today supported the call of Liberal Democrat MPs to do everything possible to keep small schools in Cornwall open. Their comments came in a Parliamentary debate about looming village school closures in Cornwall.

The future of village schools has hit the agenda as the Conservative led Cornwall Council has launched a "review" of primary schools in the area. With the council identifying a need to cut surplus places and deeming more than one in ten school places in Cornwall as 'surplus', there is a new threat closure for village schools.

Cornwall's MPs highlighted how important village schools are to all rural communities, providing locally based education for children but also acting as a hub for other rural services and maintaining living, working, rural communities.

Both the MPs and the Minister called on Cornwall Council to prioritise imaginative ways to keep small schools open, such as 'clustering' a few small schools under one headteacher, sharing administrative and specialist staff and facilities wherever possible, and providing more affordable homes for families with children so village schools continue to thrive.

Matthew Taylor, who requested the debate, called on Ministers to recognise that small, village schools are more expensive to run; yet there is no extra money for small schools in the funding formula. Mr Taylor said that whilst the Labour Government had significantly increased schools funding for Cornwall, they had not addressed the fundamental problem of a funding formula implemented by the Conservatives which leaves rural areas at a disadvantage - Cornish schools get £338 a year less per pupil from the Government than the national average.

Commenting after the debate, Matthew Taylor MP for Truro and St Austell said:

"As I said during the debate, the question should not be 'what schools do we close to eliminate surplus places in Cornwall' but 'why are village schools at risk?' All too often this is because of a lack of affordable housing in the village which means working families simply cannot afford to live there and send their children to the local school. Yet shutting these small schools is irreversible, and rips the heart out of the local community. These schools need to be helped to stay open, and working families need affordable homes in their community.

"A review of the needs and requirements of our primary schools is very welcome, but it is absolutely essential that this is not used as a back door to close small primary schools in villages. All the evidence has shown that well run, small village schools provide a great education for local children, keep local families in the village and can have a great knock on effect on other services within the village too. Cornwall Council must prioritise village schools rather than closing them."

Julia Goldsworthy added:

"Cornwall's schools have been short-changed for decades by consecutive Conservative and Labour Governments - Cornish kids currently get £338 a year less spent on them than the national average.

"Under the Liberal Democrats pupil premium plans, this week Cornwall's schools would get an extra £22 million a year - allowing smaller class sizes, more teachers, and helping keep smaller village schools open."