Primary school reduced to nine pupils set to close

Isle of Wight Council has made the final decision to close Chillerton and Rookley Primary School

A primary school is to close at the end of the year after its number of pupils dwindled to nine.

Chillerton and Rookley Primary School on the Isle of Wight will close its doors on 31 December.

Isle of Wight Council's cabinet ratified the amalgamation of The Stenbury Federation’s two schools - Godshill, and Chillerton and Rookley - on Thursday.

Cabinet member for education Debbie Andre said they had been unable to recruit teachers.

She added: “No one wants to close a school but despite doing everything to keep the school open we have now run out of options.”

Pupils at the school have been taught in Godshill since January due to the lack of teachers.

Deficit

The Stenbury Federation asked the council in 2021 to merge its two schools due to funding challenges.

The amount of money a school gets each year is linked to how many pupils it has, so falling pupil numbers led to tighter budgets.

Chillerton and Rookley has accumulated a deficit of more than £74,000, equivalent to a third of its annual budget.

The staffing costs of the school equate to three-quarters of the school’s budget, at more than £194,000.

Campaigners tried to save the school by looking into various options for the school and its building.

No decision has yet been made about the long-term use of the building.