Angry parents will fight village school's closure

From the Echo, first published Friday 9th Apr 2004.

PARENTS of children at a threatened school today vowed to fight plans to close it.

The school, in Milton Abbas, is facing closure as part of a shake-up of education in the Blandford area that will see first, middle and upper replaced with two-tier primary and secondary schools.

As part of the changes the Federated Dunbury School, which has bases at Milton Abbas, Winterborne White-church, Winterborne Stickland and Winterborne Kingston, will lose one base.

The schools at Milton Abbas and Winterborne Stickland were put forward for closure.

In line with a recommendation from school governors, members of Dorset County Council's cabinet opted to close Milton Abbas, despite a recommendation last year to build a new school in the village and a petition calling for it to be saved.

Speaking after the meeting, angry parent Freddy Robinson said: "We are extremely disappointed that that they have taken this decision.

"We will be taking this forward to the school adjudicator if we have to and hopefully argue that the new building is better for the Dunbury Federation and children."

Fellow parent David Clegg added: "The governors have made a decision that's not in the best interests of the children of the Dunbury Federation.

"They have been swayed by a campaign at Winterborne Stickland and the county council has gone along with that.

"They have said it's in the best interests of the children at Milton Abbas and Winterborne Stickland, but we believe the best interests would be served by a new building."

Members of the cabinet spent more than an hour debating which school to close.

Coun Tim Palmer, leader of the council, described the decision as heartbreaking, but he said a decision had to be made.

Coun Hilary Cox, a governor at the school, who did not take part in the final vote on which school to close, said: "It's really like a judgement of Solomon.

"Only one village was going to get the baby at the end of it and one was going to lose out."

Coun David Fox added: "There's always a feeling that if a village loses its school an essential element is missing.

"I hope whatever decision we make it will be accepted as in the best interest of the children."

Cabinet members agreed to a recommendation from the Dunbury School governors to close the base at Milton Abbas because of falling roll numbers.

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