'Heritage' plea over Onibury School

A school which has been at the heart of life in a Shropshire village for 400 years should be saved - and celebrated as a mark of the county's heritage, it has been claimed.

Ian Alderson, a parent and former chairman of governors at Onny Primary School in Onibury, near Craven Arms, said the school had an "excellent ethos" and called for it to be spared the axe under Shropshire Council's plans to deal with falling rolls.

Mr Alderson made his comments at an official public consultation meeting held at the school last night, where a number of parents and campaigners grilled Shirehall bosses over the plans.

Onny is one of eight primary schools across the county earmarked for closure by summer 2012, while the Wakeman secondary in Shrewsbury is due to close in July 2013.

Adrian Milburn, a parent, said he believed the fact that 72 per cent of pupils came from outside the school's catchment area showed how popular it was with parents.

David Evans, Shropshire councillor for Craven Arms, said: "I think Onny is a great school and I see no reason why we should have to sacrifice it. It is a focal point and we need to keep it for the good of Onibury.

"This proposal will not go away and I and my fellow councillor James Gibson will fight and push all we can to make sure it survives."

Sarah Walker-Evans, a parent, said she lived in Ludlow but had specifically chosen to send her children to Onny Primary School as it was rural and met her child's specific needs.

Ann Goosey, a local resident, claimed the school it encouraged interaction and respect between young and old people which she said could not be recreated in an urban environment.

Officials from Shropshire Council said pupil numbers had fallen from more than 100 to around 40 and said it was believed the downward trend would continue.

They also said children would be offered places at Stokesay Primary School in Craven Arms but added parents were free to exercise their rights to choose another school if they wished to.

David Taylor, Shropshire Council's director for people's services, said: "This exercise is about trying to get the best outcome that we can educationally for all children in Shropshire and delivering that vision.

"We have to ask ourselves how we can collectively achieve the best outcome with the resources we have."

By Peter Kitchen