Cornish school launches second fundraiser to pay for teachers

The village of Lerryn has pulled together to raise funds to pay for teachers at the school

A Cornish school is facing another year of fundraising to pay for the staff it says it needs to stay open.

Lerryn Church of England Primary School, in Lerryn, near Lostwithiel, only has 17 children.

Supporters have been able to raise £32,000 to pay for a second teacher who started at the beginning of this term.

The new fundraiser is now under way to cover the academic year beginning in September 2024, with staff saying they hoped to attract more pupils.

Fundraising began after parents were told in July there would only be one teacher and two teaching assistants from September 2023.

School funding is based on amounts given on a per-pupil basis, so the fewer students, the less funding.

Head teacher Robyn Riggs said they hoped to attract more pupils to enable the school to eventually pay for its own teaching staff.

Katrine Musgrave is chair of Lerryn School Association

Ms Riggs said its toddler group, outdoor education programme and open days were being used to try and attract more children.

She said: "We want to be able to show off our lovely school, to show what we can offer our community and our children and parents alike - so we can get more children here so they can experience what we have to offer."

Katrine Musgrave, chair of the Lerryn School Association, said: "We acknowledge it's going to take time for the numbers in the school to grow to the point where we're self-sustaining, and all the teacher costs can be covered again by the school itself.

"So, to buy ourselves time for growth, we are going to fundraise for a second year; and we're on target, we're doing really well towards keeping Miss Banner in post."