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Threatened primary school saved from closure

Marcus White
BBC News
NEU A group of children and adults holding up banners and chanting in the street in Newport. Some of the banners say Save Arreton School.NEU
Campaigners previously held protests to save the school

A Church of England school that was due to close in July has won a last-minute reprieve.

Isle of Wight Council's decision to shut Arreton St George's Primary School has been overturned by the government's schools adjudicator.

The Diocese of Portsmouth, which formally appealed against the closure, said the adjudicator had found the decision-making process to be "flawed".

The council, which was trying to reduce the number of school places on the island, said it accepted the ruling.

The authority said in 2024 it was considering closing six primary schools due to the declining UK birth rate.

Parents from the villages and towns affected held protests and public meetings.

Church of England Diocese of Portsmouth Nicky Coates, who wears a patterned dark dress and a lanyard, sits at a table in a classroom with a pupil. She is pointing at a book while the boy faces her.Church of England Diocese of Portsmouth
Arreton head teacher Nicky Coates said the threat to the school had caused "untold damage"

One school was dropped from the plan in December 2024 and three more were reprieved by a council vote in March 2025, leaving Arreton and Cowes primary schools under threat.

The Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA) found the council offered "misleading and incorrect information" about Arreton, according to the diocese.

The OSA found there was no clear and transparent way of selecting schools for closure and no evidence that account was taken of the effect on businesses or the lack of premises for hire, the diocese added.

Arreton head teacher Nicky Coates said the process had caused "untold damage".

She said: "Whilst we are of course pleased that the OSA has agreed with us and with the diocese that the process was flawed, our mood is not one of pure celebration.

"I feel sad and frustrated that so much time and energy has been wasted."

A redbrick primary school building behind a green metal fence.
Arreton Primary School was due to close within weeks

In a statement, Isle of Wight Council confirmed the school would remain open in September.

It said: "The council recognises that the process to realign the number of primary school places on the island to the number of children requiring a place has been difficult for many, and we understand that this will be a very welcome decision for the Arreton St George's CE Primary School community."

Previously, the council said it would start the rationalisation process again, as it still had too many school places.

The OSA is due to publish the decision on its website in due course.

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