9:18am Friday 18th December 2009
By Emily Roberts
A MOTHER who has campaigned to keep her children’s school open has now given up the fight.
Sharon Lunnon has spoken on behalf of parents at Chineham Park Primary School, in Shakespeare Road, Popley, Basingstoke, since they found out in October that it had been earmarked for possible closure.
Following a consultation process and the publication of a report by senior Hampshire County Council officers, recommending the school for closure next August, Mrs Lunnon said she has had enough.
At today’s decision day meeting in Winchester, Hampshire education chief Councillor David Kirk is expected to decide the school must close because of persistent poor performance and a falling number of pupils.
Mrs Lunnon, who has two boys at the school, said: “I know what the decision is going to be and I feel now that we are fighting something that is too big.
“We are giving in because we are not going to win. I’m taking a back seat and I have to think about my children because I’ve been doing this for so long.”
In another development before today’s meeting, the special Interim Executive Board put in charge of the school by the county council in June, said it would not be offering an opinion on whether or not the school should close.
Cllr Kirk, the executive member for children’s services, has told parents that he would be taking the advice of the board before making his decision.
But Mike Hiscock, the IEB chairman, who is a county council employee, said in a statement to The Gazette: “The IEB has decided not to express a formal view either for or against closure. This decision was made at a meeting several weeks ago, as part of a confidential discussion.”
He added: “It is for the Local Authority, and not the IEB, to comment on the report that has been written.”
Last week, The Gazette reported that Popley East borough Councillor Andrew McCormick had quit the IEB because he said other members were in favour of the school closing but were not saying so in public.
Cllr McCormick said the IEB members had ducked their responsibility by not coming down for or against closure.
He said: “When you are running a school, you should have a good idea of where it’s going. To say that we don’t have an opinion is a bit of a cop-out.”
Cllr Kirk responded to the IEB’s statement by saying: “I will be taking into account their decision not to provide a formal response.”
Last week, parents tried to arrange a meeting with the IEB – which was brought in to help turn the school around after it was placed in special measures and branded “inadequate” by Ofsted – but they were left frustrated when their questions were not answered.
Mr Hiscock said: “We encourage parents to direct their concerns to the Local Authority as they are the decision-makers.”
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