Village school post offices proposed

RURAL schools could be used for post offices, shops and health clinics in future to ensure village communities remain viable, according to a new report.

The study, produced for the Commission for Rural Communities, warns that Government spending cuts must not lead to the closure of small schools which could become hubs where people who live in the countryside get more involved in the running of public services.

The authors of the report have also called for the new pupil premium, being created by the Government to give more money to schools which educate the poorest children, to recognise poverty in rural as well as urban areas.

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The report, published today, says village schools hold the key to the creation of a "Big Society" in the countryside.

It identifies extended services offered by these rural schools such as breakfast clubs, after-school activities and family support as a vital part of this work.

Extended Schools were brought in by the last Government to ensure all parents and pupils had access to study support, sport and music clubs, and childcare for those in primary schools.

The report warns that providing these services in smaller schools serving sparsely populated areas is more challenging but provides a lifeline for rural residents.

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The Commission for Rural Communities' chief executive Sarah McAdam said: "Children and young people in low income rural households can experience considerable isolation and more limited choices when it comes to education, training and future employment.

"This report identifies village schools as the linchpin of extended services in rural communities and the key to ensuring that services reach all families, including those most at risk of exclusion.

"At a time when there is an emphasis on public participation in the delivery of services, rural schools offer an obvious vehicle for wider community access and engagement."

The report suggests schools could be integrated with other state services, community associations and social enterprises.

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It said: "Some teachers and parents are already developing this template considering the potential of add-on activities on schools sites, whether cafes or health clinics, post offices or shops. A new settlement of this kind might require the realignment of conventional boundaries between professional and non-professional and between school and community.

"Sustainable rural communities, committed to learning, would be an enviable result."

The report was carried out by the consultancy group Capacity on behalf of the CRC – set up by the previous Government to promote the economic and social needs of rural areas.

It studied the work of four groups of extended schools – including Driffield School and its feeder primaries.

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Extended schools work in "clusters" allowing secondary and primary schools to share resources to increase the range of services and activities they provide.

The director of Capacity Margaret Lochrie said: "Village schools are not only good for children, but provide an essential lifeline for families in need of help.

"There are significant inequalities of experience for families in rural areas. Services are less accessible and more expensive to provide.

"A quarter of rural children are living in poverty, but rural poverty is often hidden from view.

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"As local authorities are required to reduce their spending, it is vital that the needs of rural families are not overlooked.

"Small schools are more expensive to maintain and there are fears among parents that cuts in spending could increase the numbers of closures of village schools.

"In their view, with rural shops, post offices and other services in decline, the loss of the village school would signal the death of the community itself."

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