Norfolk school with 17 pupils to close
"Next year there would have been just one class for children from year 1 to year 6 and that would make delivering a broad curriculum almost impossible."The authority added that the majority of students at Cantley had come from outside the catchment area and there were surplus places at several nearby schools.When a consultation on the merger began in May, parents argued they were not being given enough time and the trust had not promoted the school enough.
On 11 July, the council discussed school sustainability amid falling numbers at its children, families and community select committee.Following that, the local authority said it would work with groups of schools to help them prepare "for a future with fewer children".It was suggested schools could reduce admission numbers, change their catchment area, share resources, merge or face closure.
David Hopkins, executive head teacher at the AIM Federation of Schools, said: "Our priority as a federation is to ensure that all of our children get the very best education. "Unfortunately, we just don't feel we can deliver a broad enough curriculum with the numbers as they are at Cantley."Freethorpe is a good school and we will spend the last days of term preparing children for their transition and marking the end of an era at Cantley, which has been a much-loved school for so many."This is a sad decision but we believe that amalgamation will give us a stronger, more resilient school community and is in the children's best interests."
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