Hertfordshire: Wareside school with 18 pupils to close

A Hertfordshire primary school with only 18 pupils will close, councillors have decided with "a heavy heart".

Wareside C of E Primary School has 56 places available, but this year, despite a number of inquiries, parents decided to place pupils elsewhere.

The county council's cabinet meeting on Tuesday agreed to close the school, near Ware, from 31 August.

An £80,000 budget deficit for the 2022-23 financial year was forecast for the school.

Councillor Richard Roberts thanked the school for the education it had provided, and said the decision to close was made with a "heavy heart", reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The school has pupils in Years 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6, who, as is not uncommon in very small schools, are taught in mixed-year classes.

The school did recently have pupils in Year 4 but their families have since moved from the area.

Councillor Terry Douris said teaching a wide range of ages in each class presented "difficult challenges".

A public consultation ran before the statutory notice to close the school was published in January.

Mr Douris said comments were made on the consultation that the school was an important "village hub".

However, he said the school was not used by any community group.

It is understood that, following proposals initiated by the Wareside school, an agreement has been reached to transfer the Wareside pupils to Widford Primary School 1.8 miles (2.8km) should parents wish.

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