MP Philip Dunne's rallying call over school closures

A Shropshire MP has issued a rallying call to rural communities to get behind campaigns to save their under-threat primary schools from closure.

Philip Dunne, MP for Ludlow, has visited parents, staff and governors at Onny, Stiperstones, Lydbury North and Hopton Wafers primary schools over the past 10 days.

And he has urged people living in the communities to throw their weight behind appeals to save the schools, which all face the axe as part of Shropshire Council cost-saving measures.

He said the fight was far from a "lost cause" and hoped council chiefs could be persuaded of the need to keep them open. Schools should follow the lead of Barrow Primary School, near Bridgnorth, by considering becoming free schools independent of local authority control.

He said ideas such as federations with neighbouring schools should also be explored, claiming Lydbury North and Onny were already working closely together despite both facing the axe.

The council plans to close eight primary schools by the summer of 2012 and the Wakeman secondary in Shrewsbury by July 2013 as part of cost-cutting measures.

Other plans include creating a "through school" at Rhyn Park in St Martins, near Oswestry, and creating federation arrangements that will see schools share resources while maintaining their independence.

A six-week consultation on the proposals began yesterday. Mr Dunne said: "What is different about this programme of closures is that the council and the independent commission have based this on thorough work, facts and figures. But it does not mean each school cannot make a strong case for its continued survival.

"I notice that Lydbury North is already working closely with Onny School and they need to do more of that, and people at each school need to consider other savings they could make by working closely with other schools in their area. They also need to consider the option of becoming a free school."

By Peter Kitchen