Headteacher 'hopeful' after school closure paused

Mark Duce, headteacher of Queensway Primary School, says the school will be "continuing its journey as best we can"

The headteacher of a primary school which was under threat of closure says he is "hopeful" about its future after new discussions with the council.

Queensway Primary School in Yeadon, Leeds, was due to shut at the end of the school year due to financial pressures and the low number of five-year-olds in the area.

But it was announced earlier this week that the plans had been paused after a successful challenge to the closure based on "significant flaws in the consultation process".

Headteacher Mark Duce said the whole experience had been a "rollercoaster", and while plans beyond the summer remained uncertain, his priority was making sure his "wonderful school continues to develop and prosper".

Specialist education lawyers for Irwin Mitchell said on Tuesday they had succesfully challenged the authority's decision to close Queensway Primary.

Leeds City Council subsequently confirmed it would not issue a statutory closure notice for the school and it would "communicate the next steps, including directly communicating with stakeholders, shortly".

Queensway Primary in Yeadon was due to be issued with a statutory closure notice

Mr Duce told the BBC that in the light of the latest developments, staff and parents were "feeling a mix of optimism and hope".

"But, at the same time, there's a lot of confusion about where we're at, with the different next steps," he said.

He explained that a meeting of Leeds City Council's executive board was due to be held next week, where members would be asked to rescind the proposal to issue the school with a statutory closure notice.

But Mr Duce said it was still unknown when the matter would finally be resolved, with no set deadline.

He said it was a "complex issue", but he and others were "frustrated" as the legal challenge had shown the council's procedure to be incorrect.

The challenge had been launched amid parents' concerns the closure would have a considerable impact on pupils with special educational needs (SEND).

Almost half the school's intake is made up of SEND pupils, and parents said mainstream schools in the area would not be able to meet their children's needs.

A protest against the possible closure of the school was held in January

Meanwhile, Mr Duce said the pupils were also worried, but staff members were doing their best to "keep them protected".

He said that for now, the school would welcome new starters in September and it would be open for current pupils to return.

"But it's just not acceptable that we're going round in circles, and the anxiety it's causing the children isn't good for them. We need clear answers," he said.

Mr Duce said he had experienced "so many different emotions on this rollercoaster ride for so long".

However, he said he had been assured by the council that "lessons will be learned" for the future.

He said that for the present moment: "It's my job to steer the ship and make sure we continue to do a wonderful job.

"We've got the community behind us and a fantastic school, and it's about continuing that journey as best we can."

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