Deadline looms for Ifton Heath Primary School

Parents have been urged to take up a last-minute chance to have their say on plans to close a Shropshire village school.

The six-week consultation over plans for a shake-up of education in St Martins ends tomorrow and council bosses have said only a handful of representations have been received so far. Community leaders have asked parents to send in their views as a matter of urgency before the deadline.

Shropshire Council plans to close Ifton Heath Primary School in St Martins and send its pupils to a new merged all-through school at the village's Rhyn Park Secondary School.

Council bosses say the merger would safeguard the future of Rhyn Park School and help the authority meet tough budget constraints.

The unitary council has promised to invest £3.1 million in the new-look school and has said the shake-up is the best option for education in the village.

But St Martins Parish Council has called for the merger to be scrapped, voicing fears that the move was not in the best interests of the primary school age pupils.

Council member Neil Graham said today it was vital parents who had not done so already wrote to council chiefs to have their voice heard.

He said: "This is the last time parents will have a chance to have their say.

"I would stress it does not need to be a piece of literary masterpiece. Just a few lines outlining your feelings will be good enough.

"I would say everyone should write in, no matter whether they oppose the move or back it. The council needs to know the community's feelings.

"Personally I oppose the move because I don't think the young children should be sent to Rhyn Park.

"But it is important to stress that as much as we don't want to see Ifton Heath close, we also want to see Rhyn Park thrive."

A final decision on the school's future will be taken by Shropshire Council's cabinet on September 28.

By Iain St John