An open letter

An open letter regarding the proposed closure of The Lafford High School, Billinghay

As a happy resident of Billinghay since 2002, I am unwilling to just lie down and accept that the local secondary school should just shut up shop and disappear. There are still many unanswered questions, many of which your journalists may have ways of investigating.

In a recent letter (dated 11.3.08) to parents, the Head of Children's Services makes his points and shares his views. Whatever discussions have taken place prior to this letter, much of it has taken place behind closed doors. This appears to be the practice of our leaders today.

In his letter, Mr Duxbury cites falling numbers as a problem that affects our wider community, listing the local Billinghay primary school as well as the towns of Tattershall, Ruskington and Sleaford as facing this same trend. Has he been to these places to tell parents that the same fate will befall them?

Interestingly, he cites government planning terms for secondary schools as requiring an annual intake over 120 children in order to remain sustainable. By that, I take it to mean that if your school has an intake below this, you will be closed. How many Lincolnshire schools will be affected by this? Give us some figures, please.

What is the justification behind his statement? Well, allegedly these numbers are ‘needed to stimulate learning through social interaction which leads to the sharing of ideas, information and experiences’ as part of the answer. Excuse me, this happens in groups much, much smaller that the numbers quoted, at dining tables and classrooms all over the world and in these islands. Evidence, Mr Duxbury. I would like you to share the evidence for your acceptance of these government terms with all of us. Secondary school children, you allege, are unable to learn in year groups smaller than this size, what about primary schools? Any self-respecting professional in education, home educating parent, anyone who works with young people, or anyone who knows a little bit about ‘education’ (in the widest sense) would have a little chuckle at this. Why then is the government so obsessed with keeping class sizes down? Because children learn best when the group size matches their needs, they are happy, well supervised and content. Children were never designed to learn in gangs!

Yes, the introduction of Diplomas will necessitate changes, because all children at KS4 are entitled to them. Our education department will need to ensure that all schools, not just the ones with super heads, academies and casino style schools which bring in big bucks, have a right to an education. The young people, families and residents of Billinghay deserve a look in.

“OFSTED and earlier research reveal small school community worth. Planning research has shown that costed against the tax-paying base major local authority services like education cost least in the smallest communities, most in the largest. The school is often the only return for village tax-payers on moneys otherwise spent largely in the towns. One LEA argued a few years ago that high unit costs were so fragmentary an element of the overall budget that savings from closing all its small schools would bring a one-off £50 payment to the rest ........jam spread thin indeed! Escalating dependence on transport is financially unwise, unpredictable and at odds with environmental policy.” Mervyn Benford of NASS

This potential school closure in Billinghay necessitates an escalating dependence on transport. We already spend a LOT of money on school transport (perhaps the people of Lincolnshire need to see figures for this published in the media), with young people living the life of commuters from the age of 12 (some start even earlier) all in the name of choice. Is there any evidence to prove that this is money well spent (apart from anecdotal evidence)? We have all just received our phenomenal Lincolnshire County Council Tax bills. What percentage of that is paying for school transport? Please enlighten us. How can we continue to justify big bills when alternative means have not been explored? This does not even touch upon the moral and ethical issues of our environmental footprint for the commuting child. Is there an argument for one teacher to commute to the children, or hundreds of children to commute to their teacher? No easy answers, but LCC has to provide some evidence for their decisions.

The ‘consultation letter’ talks about meetings with parents/carers and staff. No mention of the wider community. What about the future parents living in the village? What about those who may want to work locally, to have a part time job that they can walk to? Do they not have a voice? Have they been officially informed about all of this? Perhaps there are those who are sitting back in the belief that their child is far too intelligent to want a place at the school. Well, there are no guarantees, regarding intelligence or provision. All it would take would be for a different government to be voted in! So, while there is a process governed by law, there are also processes governed by conscience. Is that not what we as parents and educators strive to train up our children to achieve? The staff at the Lafford provide a good example of this.

As a parent myself, I was most shocked by the reactions at the open meeting held at the school. Broken promises, some parents feeling let down, tearful children pleading for their school, teachers (ever the professionals) silently observing. What messages were being communicated that night? Those ultimately responsible for the education of the children in our village (yes, our village) were passing on some very strong messages that night. Not about what they had done, more about what they hadn’t done.

As law-abiding citizens of this country, we still have free will and freedom of speech. As parents we have rights and responsibilities. Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 clearly spells out our parental responsibilities. “The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable to his age, ability and aptitude, and to any special educational needs he may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.” As a result of the proposed closure, many parents are not making informed choices, but are being forced to choose because of fear of their child missing out on an education.

We can only make informed choices if those in authority make wise decisions. So, to those responsible for making these decisions, I appeal to your better natures to enable the parents of children in Billinghay and beyond, to exercise these rights and responsibilities. Listen, look around you, be filled with compassion, switch on your conscience, then act.