Freshwater primary school earmarked for closure

A primary school on the Isle of Wight "must close" amid a predicted fall in the number of children in the area.

Admissions are expected to halve at All Saints, an Anglican school in Freshwater, making it unsustainable, according to an island councillor.

Chris Whitehouse, of Newport West ward, said he hoped a nearby Catholic school would admit All Saints pupils in an "act of Christian solidarity".

A consultation will be carried out before a final decision is made.

Isle of Wight Council previously said falling numbers in west Wight meant a primary school could close.

Mr Whitehouse has written to Catholic Bishop Phillip Egan of Portsmouth Diocese urging St Saviour's RC Primary School in Totland to accept pupils from All Saints CE Primary School in an "act of Christian solidarity with our Anglican neighbours", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

In the letter he said the "only logical outcome of a review of places in the west Wight will be that All Saints is no longer sustainable and must close".

He added: "I am fully aware the pupils in question are unlikely to be Roman Catholics and that this will increase, at least some degree, the challenges in maintaining the Catholic ethos of Saint Saviour's, which I personally agree is of huge importance.

"That said, the pupils will all go on together to our joint-faith high school, Christ the King, at age 11, so this problem should readily be manageable."

All Saints and nearby Brighstone Primary School are rated as "requires improvement" by Ofsted.

St Saviour's and the area's other primary schools - Shalfleet and Yarmouth - are rated "good".

Isle of Wight children's services councillor Paul Brading said the proposals would be considered on 1 March and, if approved, a six-week consultation would take place.