Village school fights to survive

Children and parents protest at the possible school closure

Parents at a West Sussex village school have mounted a battle to save it after it was earmarked for closure.

Rogate Primary could be shut under county council plans to reorganise education for five to 18-year-olds in the Rother Valley.

Its secondary, middle and first schools are likely to be reorganised into two "tiers", from four to 11 and 11 to 18.

"We support the two-tier system but desperately want to stop Rogate school from closing," said parent Sasha Boam.

Ms Boam has three children at Rogate, a Church of England primary, which currently has 41 children aged from four to 10.

"We live right in the middle of the catchment area, and if Rogate closes I have no idea where they will end up," she said.

Playing field

She said that if the school closed the village would lose the centre of its community, where school fetes, flower shows and evening events were held.

"It has a large playing field, and we are worried that it would be sold to build retirement homes," she added.

West Sussex County Council wants to reorganise schools in the Rother Valley to address the falling number of primary school pupils.

It adds that research shows pupils make better progress if they change schools less often.

It proposes to have seven "all-through" primaries for children aged from four to 11.

Four pairs of schools would merge, including the already federated Graffham Infant and Duncton CE schools.

Parents of children at Rogate would be offered places at their nearest alternative schools, in South Harting, Rake or Hollycombe from September 2010.

Packed public meetings have been held in the village

The reorganisation would include the creation of a new rural academy at Midhurst for 11 to 18-year-olds to replace the existing Midhurst Grammar, Midhurst Intermediate and Herbert Shiner School.

Winchester College in Hampshire has already announced it will be a sponsor of the new academy.

But with a consultation on the Rother Valley reorganisation still under way, Rogate parents believe the council has "jumped the gun".

They also believe figures used by the council to show falling pupil numbers are out of date.

They have held packed public meetings and have another planned for 27 March, when they will put their case for saving the school.

Their proposition will then be put to the council as part of its consultation, which runs until 8 April.

Councillor Mark Dunn told parents he believes the proposals will achieve a "first-class system of education that will support individual learning and the wider community".