Parents worried village primary could face merger

Parents Amira Stallion (left) and Amber Bradly want Great Dunham's school to stay open

Parents of children at a village primary are worried it could merge with a neighbouring school.

Great Dunham Primary, in west Norfolk, currently has 42 pupils but the Unity Education Trust (UET), which runs it, said it expects that number to drop to just 13 in the next five years.

A consultation has begun into a possible merger with Beeston Primary School, which is four miles away.

UET said it believed the merger would secure the future of education in the area, but some parents are concerned about the impact moving schools might have on their children.

Great Dunham Primary School opened in 1843

Amira Stallion has two sons at Great Dunham Primary, one of whom has additional needs.

She said hearing about the possible merger came as a shock.

"I actually came to collect the children, both my boys came running out really excited with a sealed envelope saying 'we've got an important letter for you'.

"I sat in the car and my eldest watched me open the letter and saw my face fall.

"He's 10-years-old, he's very switched on. He's absolutely devastated, both the boys are. I don't want to move them."

'Unsettling'

Amber Bradly has a son and a daughter at Great Dunham.

She said she is worried about how Beeston Primary would cope with having more pupils if the merger goes ahead.

"We'd like to know whether there is a chance of saving the school or whether it is a done deal and it's a tick box exercise.

"We'd like to know how the children are going to fit at Beeston. It's unsettling for the families there and the village," she said.

Beeston Primary School is run by the same trust as Great Dunham Primary

UET told the BBC that Great Dunham Primary School faces "significant challenges around extremely low pupil recruitment" which it said is leading to "financial vulnerability".

It said the board of trustees at UET is working with Norfolk County Council and the Department of Education to explore the potential merger.

In a statement, UET added: "We believe we now have an opportunity through a merger not only to protect education in the area for the future, but also to increase our school improvement capacity, enable greater collaboration and partnership working, maximise resources and support the delivery of high quality and inclusive educational provision."

The consultation runs until March 25th.