Closure of Rural Primary Schools

8.15.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 31st May 2006

The future of West Berkshire's small rural primary schools has been put at risk by the Conservative decision to prop up Tony Blair's Education Bill in the House of Commons.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson, David Rendel has written to West Berkshire's MP, Richard Benyon, to warn him that he is in danger of going down in history as "the MP who sealed the fate of many of West Berkshire's rural primary schools". In his letter (copy attached) Mr Rendel urges the MP to persuade the Conservative Peers in the House of Lords to join the Liberal Democrats and Labour rebels in voting down the bill.

The letter explains that Labour's education policy, supported by the Conservatives, will mean that large, well-supported primary schools will expand sucking in pupils from smaller schools which local parents may be frightened might close. "This will become a self-fulfilling prophecy", commented Mr Rendel. "As soon as one or two parents refuse to send their children to the local primary school on the grounds that it is already small and may have to close, other parents will take fright and the numbers in the school will drop even more quickly."