Buildwas School closure decision put back
The decision on whether to close a primary school has been put back – thanks to a last-minute application by a potential academy sponsor.
Staff, pupils and parents were set to find out the fate of Buildwas Primary School, near Ironbridge, at next Wednesday's Shropshire Council cabinet meeting following a six-week consultation.
But it has been knocked back to next month to look into the potential of the school becoming an academy.
Nigel Bowen, chair of governors at the school, said: "The school governing body had requested the deferral and the council kindly agreed to our request.
"The deferral gives us extra time for the West Midlands regional schools commissioner, Pank Patel, to scrutinise the application from our potential sponsor."
The deferral of the decision until November 4 was agreed by Shropshire Council following a request from the school governors.
At their meeting on Wednesday, cabinet members will be asked to decide whether to publish a closure proposal. If they do, there would then be a four-week representation period before a final decision is made.
The school was placed in special measures by Ofsted following an inspection in January 2015. The previous Ofsted inspection in April 2013 had also said that the school required improvement.
As part of the fight to keep it open, the school has written and performed a song explaining why they love their school and asking Shropshire Council not to close it.
