Historic Education Decision Made

Isle of Wight Council has decided to adopt a new school structure in an historic move as part of its aims to raise the standards of education for children and young people on the Island.

At a meeting of the Full Council held this evening (19 March), members chose to take forward a new primary and secondary school education model to replace the existing primary, middle and high school structure. The details were outlined in a motion put forward to the Full Council by Leader Cllr David Pugh.

As part of the decision, officers will now draw up proposals outlining which school sites will be retained. By choosing a model that allows one and two form entries, this will allow a larger number of primary schools to continue.

No major changes will be brought in until at least September 2010.

Council Leader David Pugh said "It's been a long road already, but the decision to move towards implementing a two tier system now begins in earnest. Councillors, officers, parents, those involved in teaching and students now know in which direction the Island is heading. We will now work with all these groups to ensure a smooth transition to the new system."

Isle of Wight Council Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Cllr Alan Wells said "This is an historic day for education on the Isle of Wight. I want to publicly thank everyone, including governing bodies, who sent in representations during the consultation period.

"Now we know that the Island will adopt a two tier system, officers will be producing a full and detailed implementation plan and the roles each school site will play.

"We have said right from the start that representations received during the consultation would be a key factor to shaping the model we choose. There were many valid points and ideas raised and these have played a big part in helping us reach this decision."