Decision to close Isle of Wight primary school overturned

An independent government adjudicator has overturned a decision to close Arreton St George’s CofE Primary School on the Isle of Wight.

The Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA) has ruled that the closure process followed by the Isle of Wight Council was flawed – and that there was no clear and transparent way of identifying which island schools should close.

It said the council offered misleading and incorrect information, and those procedural flaws are likely to have made a difference to the outcome. It therefore ruled that the school should remain open.

Diocesan director of education, Jeff Williams, said the 30-page report was a vindication of the stance taken by the Diocese of Portsmouth since the council originally published plans to close six schools – including three Church of England schools – in September 2024. One of those schools, Godshill Primary, was dropped from the plans in December 2024.

Although councillors later voted against plans to close Oakfield CofE Primary School in Ryde, Brading CofE Primary School and Wroxall Primary, they continued with closure plans for Arreton St George’s CofE Primary and Cowes Primary School.

The OSA reviewed the evidence around the process, decisions, criteria and other issues relating to the schools involved, but only had the power to rule on the proposed closure of Arreton St George’s CofE Primary.

The headteacher of Arreton CofE Primary School, Nicky Coates, said: “Whilst we are of course pleased that the OSA has agreed with us and with the diocese that the process was flawed, our mood is not one of pure celebration.

“The decision by the Isle of Wight Council to identify our school for closure in September has caused untold damage to our school, our staff, the families involved and to our local community.

“I feel sad and frustrated that so much time and energy has been wasted on a process that was flawed from the start. I’m pleased we had so much support from staff, parents and local residents, and that their views have been recognised as correct.”

And the diocese’s director of education, Jeff Williams, said: “We are also not celebrating this news. It does, however, justify the stance that we took right back at the start of this process, which was to argue that the method used to select all six schools originally earmarked for closure was not fair or transparent.

“It has vindicated the efforts of our diocese’s education team, the headteachers and governors of all the schools, as well as the pupils, parents and all those who campaigned against these closures. All those who held up placards and banners, or who wrote to the council, or who attended public meetings to protest – they need to know that their views have also been vindicated.

“One of the reasons that we campaigned so hard was because we know how important it is to get this process right. The Isle of Wight Council has already indicated that it will have to go through a similar process again, because the issue of surplus places still exists. If they do so, it is imperative that they carry out the process in the right way, or else we’ll be back in this situation again.”

The OSA report also stated there was no evidence that the council had considered the effect on the local community of closing a rural school such as Arreton St George’s Primary, including the downturn in trade for local businesses and lack of suitable premises for hiring. It also noted that the council’s own Corporate Scrutiny Committee had recommended that the five schools should not be closed, when presented with plans to do so in March 2025.

Council statement

In a statement Isle of White Council said:

"The council accepts the findings of the investigation and will ensure that the points made by the Adjudicators are properly considered.

"The council recognises that the process to realign the number of primary school places on the Island to the number of children requiring a place has been difficult for many, and we understand that this will be a very welcome decision for the Arreton St George’s CE Primary School community.

"The council will provide additional information regarding the implications of this decision as soon as possible."

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