Struggling Leicestershire school to close
A struggling primary school will close this year, it was confirmed yesterday.
Holmfield Primary School will shut at the end of the summer term.
Councillors voted in favour of closing the Leicester Forest East school at a meeting of Leicestershire County Council's cabinet yesterday.
The school, which is in special measures, is being closed due to low standards. Education bosses said dwindling numbers of pupils made it "unfeasible" for the school to remain open.
Pupils will be accommodated at nearby schools.
Education officials will draw up a report on the impact the closure will have on neighbouring schools, with the aim of ensuring parents still have a choice of schools.
9 Comments
by ERIC GOODYER, unity house loughborough
Wednesday, April 07 2010, 9:35PM
“Illogical and shameful. The results were improving, the CSV was 106% putting the school well above 40 others in the County. This school was on the way up not down. Why did LFE's County Councillor David Parsons do nothing to save his school? He used to be a governor too”
by ryan, lfe
Wednesday, April 07 2010, 9:32PM
“so if the other schools are already full, how are the new children going to fit in, its the staff that needs to change not to close the school, soon it will have houses built on it to join up to thorpe astley wait and see!”
by Dave, LFE
Wednesday, April 07 2010, 9:10PM
“The site will not be totally used to build houses, it will be used to create a road into the extension of Thorpe Astley which is going to run behind Holmfield and alonside the M1.
Usually if a school is failing they get rid of the cause - The management! Another council cover up, this time using the poor management as an excuse.”
by DAWN SMITH, LFE
Wednesday, April 07 2010, 6:27PM
“This news is not surprising considering it was a done deal!The council just had to show that they were dotting the i's and crossing the t's. We were given forms which had a deadline of 19th March for choosing the new School our children will attend from September.This is surprising as the final decision for closure was only yesterday!!”
by Arthur Collin, Braunstone Town
Wednesday, April 07 2010, 4:08PM
“Another casualty of the Governments obsession with targets.
The dwindling number of pupils is a direct result of that.
But then there is, of course, another target they will achieve when they sell the land (if they haven't already) and build houses there!!”
by Millimole, LFE
Wednesday, April 07 2010, 3:41PM
“This was nothing to do with educational standards, and everything to do with the value of the land - which I predict, will be sold off for housing very soon.
And yes Kulgan, the consultations are just lip-service”
by melvyn, lfe
Wednesday, April 07 2010, 3:24PM
“We at the school are saddened that the LA are closing us. If CGLee would like to look at our latest OFSTED report you will see from that we have made improvments in the standards, but the overriding factor is the numbers of pupils now makes the school unstainable financially.”
by CGLee, near Melton
Wednesday, April 07 2010, 1:04PM
“This makes me very sad. I attended this school in the 1950's and went to a grammar school so it wasn't that bad then. It is not the school that needs closing. If standards are not being met then common sense tells me that the building is not at fault but the staff, particularly the leadership.”
by Kulgan, Crydee
Wednesday, April 07 2010, 9:48AM
“Are consultations just paying lip-service to the law?
It is interesting to note that the education officials are only now drawing up a report on the impact of the closure on neighbouring schools. Surely that should have happened already!!!”