Less than four years after Church Lawford School was saved from closure a further threat to its existence became public in October 1993. Whereas the original battles had been based on the fact the local school had been “singled out”, the 1993 threat was far more wide-ranging.
The Warwickshire Education Authority was looking to make major cost savings, and earmarked a range of schools for closure or restructuring. They were reverting to the Junior School model that they had rejected when Church Lawford had been made into a First School in 1973, and reverting to the “11-plus” break that had been adandoned at that time in favour of middle schools going to age 12. That move back in 1973 had been widely predicted to be a short-term change, but at the same time it badly affected village schools who needed a full range of junior children. Once again longer-term thinkers questioned the LEA’s assertions that there were too many school places in the district, given the growth forecasts, and also wondered about the impact on secondary schools of moving a complete school year back under their control – especially as there had already been cuts at that level, with the loss of Wolston High School. However, it looked like the short-term costs savings would present a very strong argument for these wide ranging cuts.
Despite the daunting odds various actions were taken in the villages, with parents meetings, a letter writing campaign and alternatives proposed by the school governors – as mentioned in the March 1994 edition of the Village Magazine.
The School Governors suggested to the LEA that Church Lawford School might be restored from a First School back to a Primary School taking ages 4-11 again. As the targets for minimum school sizes had been increased an additional classroom could be added. Given the school was already fairly modern, this would prove to be a more cost effective option than the LEA proposal to build a new school in Brinklow and carry out radical changes to others nearby. This was detailed in the April 1994 edition of the Village Magazine (below) with the slide presentation digitised here.
Unfortunately the alternative proposal fell on deaf ears at the LEA, as referenced in the July / August 1994 edition of the Village Magazine – along with the plans going forwards.
The meeting of 6th July referenced above produced a list of questions and points that were put to the LEA – copy available here
Unfortunately further attempts to get Warwickshire Council to revise their cost saving plans fell on deaf ears, and they submitted their requests to close the school to Government Level. It was decided there might be one last way to keep local schooling for the two villages, as detailed in an update in the Village Newsletter of November 1994 :
CHURCH LAWFORD SCHOOL
As most of you will know the County Council is now making formal application to the Secretary of State for Education to close our school. You probably also know that the school Governors have decided to ballot the parents on whether the school should apply for Grant Maintained status to ‘opt out’ of local authority control.
The rules for going GM are set out by law so we have to follow a strict procedure. Only the parents of children now at the school can decide whether the school should apply for GM status and they do this by voting in a secret ballot which the Governors are now organising through the Electoral Reform Society. Nobody else is eligible to vote, not even the Governors who are not parents of children at the school. If a majority of parents vote in favour of applying for GM status then the Governors have to make an application to the Secretary of State within a specified time. In practice, if we are going to make an application we have to get it in by Mid-December in order to fit in with the timescale for consultation on the County’s closure proposal.
We are holding an open meeting at the school on Wednesdays 2nd November starting at 6.30pm when everyone who is interested can come to find out about what GM status involves, to ask questions, and to express any views. Representatives have been invited from the Education Department and the Diocese, and we will be organising a creche so that parents of young children will be able to attend this meeting.
If you want to know more you are very welcome to attend.
Howard A Parvin, Chairman of Governors.
Details of the progress relating to the “opt-out” possibility have been added here.