Great Gidding Primary School to close over falling pupil numbers

Parents have branded a council decision to close a small primary school "a final insult".

Great Gidding Church of England Primary, near Sawtry in Cambridgeshire, has 47 pupils, with the number expected to fall below 40 by September.

Cambridgeshire County Council said it was unviable and agreed it would close on 31 August.

Parent Chris Jakins said the closure was "destroying a much-needed rural school".

A final decision was reached after a consultation involving staff, children, parents, governors, trades unions, and the local diocese, the council said.

It cited falling pupil numbers and its resulting financial unviability, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

But Mr Jakins, whose daughter attended the school, called the decision the "final insult".

He added: "They [pupils] are better humans and will make the world a better place. They will achieve this in spite of the challenges forced upon them.

"We are deeply thankful to all staff for making it what was and still is, for now at least, a loving, nurturing and vital school."

Parent Emma Bhamra, who has two daughters, said the school had been "a blessing" for them.

She said her eldest daughter had a rare medical condition and her needs were "lost" in bigger schools, but she said staff had gone "above and beyond" to look after her.

The school has also previously received support from the actor Warwick Davis, who tweeted: "This school did great things for my son... it would be a travesty to see it close."

The school's catchment area included the villages of Great Gidding, Little Gidding and Steeple Gidding, as well as Winwick and Hamerton, and pupil numbers had dropped from 75 in the last 10 years.

The council said: "Officers were concerned that the low and continually decreasing number of pupils at the school was adversely affecting its ability to provide the breadth of educational experience pupils are entitled to."

The Children and Young People's Committee meeting heard that parents of children displaced by the closure would be able to apply for a place at a school of their preference, with the nearest alternative schools being in Sawtry.

Another primary school was also due to open in Sawtry in September 2024.

Councillors also agreed to approve financial help with home-to-school transport and uniform costs for eligible pupils affected by the closure.

Bryony Goodliffe, in the chair at the committee, said it was "a difficult decision to make".

"Nothing in the responses received has convinced us that it would be either sensible or prudent - or in the educational interests of the children - to keep the school open beyond August 2023," she said.

Canon Andrew Read, director of education for the Diocese of Ely, described the closure as "a regrettable but inevitable decision given the available funding for schools of this size".

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