Partnerships between Shropshire schools are 'essential' as pupil numbers fall
New partnerships between schools are "essential" to secure their future amid fears of a crisis over falling pupil numbers.
That's the view of Councillor Ann Hartley, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for children's services, who said school leaders would have to "think outside the box" to survive.
It comes after a charitable trust was set up between Market Drayton's infant, junior and secondary schools which governors hope will encourage closer working and more community involvement. Shropshire's first all through school opened in St Martins last month and a multi-academy trust has been set up between primary schools in Morville and Coalbrookdale.
A report released in September warned some schools in Shropshire could be in danger of closure as pupil numbers fall in coming years. The findings suggested that the future of primary and secondary schools in Shropshire could be a collaborative model including federations or multi-academy trusts where staff and facilities are shared between neighbouring sites.
Councillor Hartley said Shropshire is currently bucking the trend nationally, which is seeing other schools outside the county full to capacity and struggling to accommodate pupils.
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She said: "Schools working together is essential because a real issue in Shropshire is falling school rolls, which needs addressing.
"It is a real problem in Shropshire. The county is bucking the trend nationally, where other schools are full to capacity and are having real problems accommodating children.
"A lot of work has already been done at Shropshire Council to remedy it.
"But to deal with falling rolls, more schools need to think outside the box. All sorts of schools are talking to each other at the moment which will put them and Shropshire in a good place.
"Part of the problem is that Shropshire has an ageing population and a lot of young families are moving out of the county."
All schools under Shropshire Council's control recently received an email detailing the findings of the Shropshire Schools Forum Sustainability Task and Finish Group and the Administration Schools Sustainability Task and Finish Group.
See also: Pupil numbers in Telford on the up
