Who Are Education Swanage?
The group was formed after the first Purbeck Review of Schools consultation to close our middle school. During the consultation several of us wanted secondary education provision to be explored by Dorset County Council, but found that as individuals our enquiries were ignored. We formed a campaign group in order to be heard.
Most of our members are parents, staff and governors involved in saving our schools, others are part of PEAT, the Purbeck Environmental Action Team, which seeks to make the area more self-sufficient and sustainable. Our local county councillors, Bill Trite and Mike Lovell, are also supporters, as are Swanage Town Council and Langton Parish Council and several members of Purbeck District Council. All of us see the risks in taking away all secondary education from the town and want to make a positive difference by setting up a school for our community.
March 2009 DCC consult on the Purbeck Review of Schools. They plan to move the pyramid from three-tier to two-tier, closing all the middle schools and creating a single split-site secondary school in Wareham.
July 2009 Despite opposition DCC decide to move to two-tier ‘in principle’ and to build the split-site school in Wareham. In Swanage the officers choose a local ‘Options Forum’ of school heads, chairs of governors, councillors and officers to look at the primary schools. Concerned locals form new group Education Swanage in order to get a seat on the Options Forum and ensure secondary education is on the agenda. We suggest a twin-campus Purbeck School, with schools in Wareham and Swanage, spending money on teaching rather than transport. The Options Forum concludes the idea should be included in the next consultation.
October 2009 Swanage Town Council vote unanimously to support our plans for consultation on a secondary school. Purbeck District Council also vote in favour of consultation on secondary options for Swanage.
21 October We meet DCC education officers in Dorchester, who dismiss any idea of a secondary school for Swanage.
2 November The Conservatives announce they will allow parents groups to set up schools if they win the upcoming election. The Bournemouth Echo reports how we may have to set up our own school if our concerns are ignored by DCC.
24 November In Dorchester, members of DCC’s Community Overview Committee listen to our arguments and agree with us. They reject the Purbeck Review team’s proposal and amend it to include consultation on secondary education in Swanage.
2 December The Cabinet reveal the county have lost their bid for Building Schools for the Future money to fund the reorganisation. They postpone their decision and instruct their officers to meet Education Swanage to discuss secondary education.
17 December We attend a meeting with education officers in Poundbury. At the start we are told this is to be the only discussion and that there was to be no consultation on secondary education in Swanage. See Echo report.
Spring 2010 Second round of consultation, which omits secondary education.
4 May General Election.
17 May John Nash, DCC’s Director of Children’s Services, tells the Community Overview Committee that the reorganisation is necessary and acknowledges that people in Swanage may set up their own school.
19 May Cabinet issues statutory notices to close the middle schools.
25 May In the Queen’s Speech the Coalition Government confirms it will allow groups to set up Free Schools, bypassing local authorities.
10 June First public meeting at the Town Hall to discuss the idea of a Free School.