Model of small school education '˜must be preserved', say charities

As revealed by The Yorkshire Post on Saturday, a funding crisis is emerging across North Yorkshire’s small schools, driven by low pupil numbers and a fall in budgets of up to eight per cent.

The area’s director for children’s services admitted he couldn’t rule out more closures, amid concerns a resulting fall in teachers’ and parents’ confidence means some are struggling to attract the best quality staff.

But the National Association of Small Schools said preserving small schools must be at the forefront of decision makers’ minds given the benefits they provide.

“There’s no educational argument against small schools,” said Mr Benford, himself a former Ofsted inspector. “The reality is quite the opposite. They get the best results. The quality of teaching is higher.

“All the hard evidence is that small schools are as good as parents believe they are. It’s a vital model that needs to survive.”

Documents seen by this newspaper show every single small school in North Yorkshire with pupil numbers between 20 and 30 is to start the academic year in financial deficit. Four have closed in North Yorkshire since the start of the year, with two more consideration, and three are to have discussions in the Autumn over their ‘concerning’ finances.

Pete Dwyer, director of children’s services for North Yorkshire County Council, said the education system is facing challenges across the country, a problem which becomes particularly acute in small schools.

The authority is making great effort to maintain local provision, he stressed, supporting parents and partnerships, setting up federations and lobbying for better funding. In a briefing from NYCC, the authority said it is aware of the “crucial” role village schools play in the life of their communities and has lobbied Government strongly for better funding.

“The funding formula at base is tied to pupil numbers, so falling rolls because of changing demography in rural areas, due partly to a lack of affordable housing for young families, means small schools face very tough financial challenges,” the briefing said.

Research has shown that small schools perform better at Key Stage 2 than the average across the county, the authority said, adding that it was “committed” to keeping them in business. But, it said, alternatives were not always available and there were times when closure was best for children’s education.

“North Yorkshire does not take the decision lightly to close small schools,” the briefing said. “However, very small schools like Horton-in-Ribblesdale, for example, with fewer than six pupils at Key Stage 2, perform five per cent below the county average.

“The fundamental issue is that very low numbers lead to lack of curriculum breadth caused by overwhelming funding pressures as well as very limited social experiences for pupils. Quality and breadth of education and financial viability are not unrelated.”

Mr Benford said the issue around preserving small schools is one which needs swift action.

“Small schools are under a very serious threat,” he said. “The whole economic argument against small schools is distorted in favour of closure.

“There’s a huge austerity effect on the whole education service. I don’t see why small schools and the communities they’ve served for hundreds of years should be the ones to suffer.”