Councillors agree next stage in closing Great Gidding primary school

The next step in closing a school near Peterborough has been agreed by councillors – despite a bid to save it.

County councillors agreed to move forward to the next stage of the statutory process which may result in the closure of Great Gidding CofE Primary School at a meeting on Wednesday (March 8).

 Cambridgeshire County Council’s Children and Young People’s Committee considered feedback received through the first period of public consultation on the viability of the school, where pupil numbers have been falling over recent years. 

As a result, they agreed to publish a statutory notice and formal proposal to close the school on 31 August 2023. 

In the past 10 years the number of pupils at the school has fallen from 75 to 44 at the end of January this year - many of whom come from outside the school’s mainly rural catchment area. The council’s demographic forecasts suggest catchment children numbers are unviable moving forward. The school was attended by Paralympic star Lauren Steadman.

Cllr Bryony Goodliffe, Chair of the Children and Young People’s Committee said: “Considering the closure of a school is not something we take lightly. The drivers behind this move have always been the falling pupil numbers, the financial viability of the school and the impact on educational outcomes for the children.  

 “Unfortunately, no solutions have been identified in the consultation process to address these critical issues and provide a sustainable education for the pupils of the school. While recognising the level and nature of objection to the proposal, in the absence of any solutions being brought forward, we must move to the next phase of public consultation.” 

 At a previous meeting of the committee, when the consultation was launched, one councillor said the decision to shut the school was a ‘foregone conclusion.’

If the decision were to close, parents would be able to apply for an alternative school of their choice and the Council would arrange a dedicated admissions round for families of the school to establish their preferences and work to meet these if possible. 

 In addition, officers suggested at the committee meeting that in the event of closure they would ask committee to consider exceptional help for parents with home to school transport to another school and the cost of new uniforms. 

 A number of alternatives were considered by the County Council before the agreement to consult on the future viability of the school was sought in January. The Council was unable to get agreement from nearby schools to form a federation with Great Gidding, while joining a church multi-academy trust (MAT) was not considered viable by the Diocese of Ely and would not address the low pupil numbers and budget challenges faced by the school. 

 A statutory proposal to close the school will now be published, followed by a four-week period of representation, during which interested parties can comment on or object to the proposal. 

 A final decision on whether to close the school will be made by the Children and Young People’s Committee on 25 April 2023.