BRIDE Infants’ School is earmarked for closure from September, the Department of Education and Children announced today.
The school has just three pupils of school age, two of whom have already indicated their intention to transfer to Andreas Primary School this summer, although it also offers pre-school places.
Predicted pupil numbers for September 2012 are three pupils in the reception class (one of whom would be coming from outside the catchment area) and one in Year 1, with no pupils in Year 2.
If the school closes, the children will instead go to Andreas Primary School, with which the school merged in 2005.
Since the merger, Bride’s infants have regularly attended Andreas to work alongside their peers in those areas of the curriculum that are difficult to provide at the smaller school, the Department explained.
For many years, parents have had the option of which school they attend from the start of their Reception year and for the last three years, parents of children starting Year Two (the last year of infants) have chosen to move them to Andreas a year early so they can take advantage of the additional facilities the larger site offers.
As required by law, the Department is advertising the planned closure of Bride School in a public notice in local newspapers.
‘The numbers registering to start their compulsory schooling at Bride are now so low that it is increasingly difficult to offer them the range of educational stimuli and experiences we would wish to at the Bride site,’ said Stuart Dobson, Chief Executive Officer.
‘When this is put alongside the judgment contained in the 2009 external review of Bride School, which criticised the quality of the accommodation as inadequate, it is clear why the Department wishes to close it and transfer education of these pupils to Andreas, which is where they already progress to when they reach seven.
‘There will clearly be a cost saving for the Department, mainly from the reduction in building costs, but a key driver in making this decision is also the need to ensure the quality of education provided for the children of Bride and that is best done by them attending Andreas School.’
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