School Place Planning FAQs

The timeframe we work to is on the Schools place planning timeline page.

The current proposals which are under consultation are

• closure of Arreton Church of England Primary School
• closure of Brading Church of England Primary School
• closure of Oakfield Church of England Primary School
• closure of Godshill Primary School
• closure of Wroxall Primary School
• closure of Cowes Primary School

School’s funding is directly related to the number of pupils it has on roll and is allocated based on a funding formula to ensure all schools receive an appropriate allocation based on their number on roll. Funding for schools is allocated by the Government.

A decline in pupil numbers, and a subsequent reduction in funding, presents difficulties for a school in appointing staff and delivering the full range of curriculum opportunities to pupils. The potential benefits from removing surplus places in existing schools are relatively small in this instance in comparison to the benefits achieved by closing a school.

Predicting school place demand is a complex task. Where children go to school involves a range of different factors such as housing growth, inward and outward population migration as well as parental preference. As a result, planning for school places uses NHS Data, historical trends and some assumption. Pupil forecasts are derived from sound methodology and are based upon actual birth rates up to September 2027. We therefore know this data and information can be relied upon when planning our school provision.

The number of children on roll at preschools are not used as part of the forecasting methodology as this is not reliable. Historic trends show that children attending early years settings located on school sites do not always opt to attend that school. 

The review of school places is predominantly focused on Primary Schools and not Secondaries. However, yes all school primary schools have been included. It is the Council’s role to plan, commission and organise school places in conjunction with the Regional DfE Director in a way that promotes the raising of standards, manages supply and creates a diverse infrastructure. However, it should be noted that the Isle of Wight Council do not have the legal ability to close Academies.

Yes, we are working very closely with the DfE particularly around any potential academy conversions, as there is a due diligence process that must be followed ahead of any academy orders being issued by the Department.

Yes, we are working very closely with them and will ensure they form part of any decision-making processes going forward.

School Place Planning is a complex task, however from the engagement sessions undertaken a criteria have been used to assess all schools in the as listed below.

Our intention is to reduce the number of school places across the Island and increase the number of special educational needs places at the same time. The proposals and decision making will be based on a number of factors such as:

• quality of provision.
• where the children who attend the school live.
• childrens health and wellbeing.
• whether the children that attend a faith school do so because of its denomination.
• financial viability.
• transport implications.
• environment implications.
• number of pupils choosing to attend the school.
• fabric of the building and ongoing maintenance costs.
• legal legislation restrictions.
• department for Education guidance about rural schools.
• pupil movement.
• local housing building.
• factors that arise during a consultation process.
• restrictions outside of the local authority’s control.

Our key focus is on improving educational standards and improving the life chances for our children and young people by efficient use of resources, providing a broad and balanced curriculum offer, maximising staffing, and maximising our school estate to respond to future demographic changes.

The Isle of Wight Council has a statutory duty to ensure the sufficiency of school places, and a key part to this will be the adoption of a new School Place Planning Strategy. This is a constant workstream that all Local Authorities should review on an annual basis.

By September 2027, we forecast with no changes to have approximately 443 vacant school places. The proposals would see a reduction to 253 surplus places.

It is acknowledged that is still a high proportion of surplus places, but the Local Authority must also consider the current number of children within our primary schools, and it is our professional opinion that closing 6 schools and reducing 2 schools planned admission number is an adequate first step to reducing the level of surplus places.

When planning the number of School places across the Island, we have allowed for a minimal 10% surplus across the school system, and we are confident we could place all EHE children should they request a place.

If parents/carers preference is for their child to attend an alternative Church of England School the Local Authority would work with them to understand which is closest to their home address.

However, it is not a statutory requirement for the local authority to automatically allocate pupils from a closing Church of England School to another.

We are aware that any transition to a new school will need to be managed very carefully to protect the wellbeing of the young people. Where a school is named for potential closure, we have included a proposal for where a place will be offered. This is aimed at not leaving parents/carers in a period of uncertainty and help to keep peer groups together where possible. Parental preference will remain, and children will not be directed to take a school place.

Every effort will be made to ensure that pupils will continue to follow the curriculum they are currently studying, and support will be provided to all pupils affected by any proposed changes to minimise disruption to their learning.

As by this stage no final decision will have been made about the future of our schools the application will still be processed and places will be allocated in accordance with the school’s published admission arrangements. A parent will have the option to make a change to their preference up to the 15 January 2024.

If a decision is taken to close a school, parents holding an offer at this school will need to submit a further application for a school place. The LA will be working with all schools to ensure every child is offered a school place within their planning area. More details to follow as the work progresses.

The wellbeing of our school staff and pupils will be kept at the forefront throughout this process. The retention of high-quality staff is also a crucial element in the IW Council’s drive for improving education standards and raising pupil achievement.

If a decision is taken to move to a statutory notice for closure of a school consultations will take place with all staff who may be affected by the proposals, and with their respective professional associations and trade unions.

Unfortunately, the Isle of Wight Council does not have a policy to provide new school uniform. However, as any proposed closure will align with the new academic year this is typically a time when schools change their uniform reducing the impact on parents.

We are not currently at the stage whereby this has been assessed and will continue to be reviewed throughout the process. It is anticipated that the normal school transport policy will apply.

More information about home to school transport

Any transport for those granted through eligibility will be provided with appropriate transport for their age and location. Until the numbers of children are known its difficult to determine the mode of transport. We would typically look at public bus transport with parental accompaniment, shared taxi/minibus or mileage reimbursement.

Our proposal is to expand the number of special educational need places on the Isle of Wight by over 201 places. This expansion programme is being considered alongside the reduction of mainstream places to reutilise building accommodation where possible.

More information about SEN places 

The quality of education in a school is a factor that parents and carers has raised as important. Decisions are based on a range of factors and the quality of education is one of many (listed in the question on this page).

The birth rates on the Island have been significantly decreasing and the number of families choosing to move to the Island has also not increased. Therefore, a level of surplus places will be retained in the system for future growth, however we cannot delay action on addressing the concerns, particularly given that build out rates of developments are typically slow on the Island.

Yes, we will continue to work closely with our Early Years Team to ensure any potential options also consider 0-4 year old provision, and wrap around care which we acknowledge many early years providers also deliver. Where provided can remain on school sites we will be ensuring this continues.

Of the six schools proposed for closure, the proposals include retaining five of them for use within education.

Any disposal of a school site is subject to consent from the Department for Education, and there is often complex legal land issues to resolve prior to considering a change of use or disposal.

The options around future redevelopment of sites have not been a deciding factor during the decision making process to identify the six schools for potential closure.

The health and wellbeing of our children and young people is a priority in all areas of Childrens Services, and will remain a key priority in all future work.

We are also working with our colleagues who run the Mental Health Support Team to ensure appropriate support is targeted to schools affected.

We also have our own ‘Well-being’ service run out of our Primary Behaviour Service

Schools identified through the consultation process will be prioritised for support through a new initiative called ‘My Happy Mind’ which aims to help schools, nurseries and families create a culture of positive mental well-being. My Happy Mind is a whole school and every child approach and is not just reserved for those at the point of need and will work complimentary and collaboratively with existing Social Emotional Mental Health and well-being services on the IOW.

Please share your views on school place planning, and children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

You can:

• email strategic.planning@iow.gov.uk
• complete the Island School Place Planning Consultation survey online

The survey is open from 20 September to 1 November 2024.

If you need a paper copy, you can drop into your local library or County Hall in Newport to collect one.