Tiny school is saved from closure

By John Howard

CAMPAIGNERS are celebrating saving their tiny rural primary school after a year-long campaign to keep the 19-pupil facility open.

A ground-breaking partnership between two Suffolk schools will save Peasenhall Primary School from closure, after it was backed during a meeting of Suffolk County Council's Executive Committee yesterday.

The headteacher of nearby Middleton Primary, Kath Cook, will spend time in both schools, managing their overall running and supporting teaching and learning. Both schools will share resources and funding.

Middleton and Peasenhall will work together, allowing pupils to continue to be educated on the Peasenhall site, while sharing facilities and a headteacher with Middleton.

Staff, parents and governors involved with both schools have expressed their support, meaning Peasenhall no longer needs to close.

County council leader Bryony Rudkin said it was a credit to the schools that they had reached agreement in what could have been a negative situation.

And Tony Lewis, Suffolk County Council's portfolio holder for children and young people, told the meeting: “Both theses schools are very small, tiny really. It's good to secure their future viability.”

Other councillors said they hoped other schools would follow their lead, particularly in rural areas.

And Sarah Gallagher, chairwoman of governors at Peasenhall Primary School, said after the meeting: “We are absolutely delighted, this is the end of an uncertain time, culminating months of hard work that we put in to save the school.

“We can now look forward to a happy future. It was a very real possibility that we would lose the school and we are really thrilled.

“It's essential for a sustainable community to have their school. Villagers felt it was very important to preserve the school, to still attract families to the village.”