About Herefordshire

What do you make of these cutbacks? Common sense or a cut too far?

tiffany broom
sno is fantastic because we get to stay off school

Charlotte Wilson
My dad works in the army and we move all round the place last time we were in Germany. We now moved to shobdon in herefordsheire where we are now fineally settling and when i went to Shobdon School they told me i was below my level than i should be for my age 10/11. It must be because i was in a big class of 38 i did not have very much atention put towards me i was a level 2 i needed to be a level 4 in maths.1 year later in Shobdon School i had my S.A.T.S tests i was dreding it! days later i got my results i had passed i had a level 4 in maths science and got a wopping high mark of level 5 for english. Then Mrs.Hancock the best headteacher told us all the terrible news that our school was going to shut down. Lots of children were crying for this is a loving valuble not only school but villiage hall and local commumity centure of Shobdon!!!!! The following weekend all the primary schools in hereforshiere were down in hereford shouting bravely "SAVE OUR SCHOOLS" we marched round town all morning then Mrs.Hancock when we went back to school started crying are school was saved. i have now moved school as i am now 12 im in wigmore high. BUT I BELEIVE NO CHILDREN SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT THERE SCHOOL WHOEVER THOUGHT OF CLOSING NOT ONLY SHOBDON SCHOOL BUT MOST SCHOOLS IS WRONG YOUR MAKING US SAD AND UNHAPPY SO CAN U STOP CLOSING SCHOOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jan Wilson
Being married into the British Army and moving about every three years I can fully understand that changes must be made, BUT I also know first hand, that when you have two young children who enter into army schooling, classes of 30-40 children, and I as a mother making all the changes necessary for them to cope within a different way of life, only to find out that when you enter into the United Kingdom that they are actually behind there ages and stages of development. I can only think that it is because my children entered into a much larger school, children who are not performing at the same level as their counterparts are being left behind, there are too many children for the teacher to even spot that there is a problem. Where being in a rural school of 40-50 pupils, 10-15 per class a lot of problems were spotted straight away and the children worked alongside the teachers who had more time to help them because of having smaller classes. I can only thank the teachers of Shobdon Primary School for taking the time and hard work to bring my children upto standard, which may I add took two years, they are working well at making themselves better at subjects that they were failing on before, thus making them better people within society. THANK YOU Shobdon, I will always support you in matters which affect the smooth running of the school and all that you put into the community for the children and beyond your call of duty. Thank you

Nathan Hiams
Shobdon is a special school, helping friends is our main rule, taking care of everyone, learning lots but having fun. Mrs Hancock, we love her, so she makes us try and have a go. If you knew the school like us, you would not send us on a bus off away from all our friends, along narrow roads with lots of bends. Please rethink, our school is best, head and shoulders above the rest, healthy eating, park & ride. Pembridge is too far to ride. Help us learn and be happy too. We need Shobdon and so do you!

Karen Lloyd
I am an ex Bromyard Queen Elizabeth school pupil and I think it is the most ridiculous proposal , the school is part of that community for children growing in to adults , after school we had clubs , sports drama which helps a child to interact socially , grow and become adults , put children on buses for hours a day will be stunting their growth , it will indeed spoil a town that seems to be so neglected by council , the streets are filthy and it breaks my heart as i sit at my desk having a career in London from being educated there in Bromyard and encouraged to pursue my love of the stage ,to think that the council wants to again jeopodise childrens futures WRONG SO VERY WRONG !!

paula
what ever happened to children need stability and structure.messing around with these children education is unbelievable.i am so upset that my 4 and 5 year old are asking me if they have got school or have we got a new one today.i want to go to my nice school with my friends.i think it is unreal that children this age and older have got these worries and dont know if they are coming or going.due to some people that need to go back to school and educate themselves

Sarah Shipley
How can this be fair? Pencombe School is upto full capacity, has several awards, is within the budget and offers a fantastic education in a secure, idylic and caring community. How can the Council justify closing this school and more cruelly without not even visiting the school to see its facilities?? Why should rural villages loose their schools? Surely it is not too much to ask to be able to send our children to their local village school. To close Pencombe school will destroy our community.

Liv Moss, Mordiford Dragons Playgroup
Are the LEA going to provide free transport for children who will have to travel much further?The LEA want wrap around care and extended schools to increase their target figures. well if there are no premises how is this going to happen. Pre schools on school sites providing an excellent service for parents and children are once again under threat. Please think again and leave the schools that were not in danger of closing alone. Villages need schools otherwise there is no village community.

anon
Closing these schools under the pretense that larger schools can offer better facilities is ridiculous. It is widely known that the smaller the classes that children taught in are the greater the level of learning. if these schools are closed and merged the result will be much larger classes and therefore less individual attention for each child and more pressure on the teachers in charge of these large classes. the only winner in this senario is the councils back pocket who see the closed schools as ideal building plots instead of renovating already redundant buildings in the county.

Richard Beeching
I'm so pleased to see that Sharon Menghini is enjoying the hatchet I sent her for Christmas - I had enormous fun with it, sorting out the railways in the 1960s. Amalgamation and closure are immensely practical and cost effective options. I once owned a race horse which was cost inefficient and failing to fulfil its potential, so I amalgamated two of its legs and closed off its mouth. Regrettably the immense benefits that my improvements would have yielded were denied by the animal's inconsiderate premature demise. So good luck to Dr Menghini, now at last the educational system will work as efficiently and beautifully as the rail network does.

C Davies
The council has used the falling birthrate as an excuse for this mass closure of small rural schools but these are already being questioned. I think we need to look a little deeper into this and then you see the bigger picture. This is happening all over the country and it stems from the government's Better Schools for the Future Scheme. In total this scheme is worth £45 billion and the money is available to LEA's for capital investment into their schooling system. Grants from the fund rely on the LEA's providing a review of their schools provision and money is only available to those councils with a radical enough vision for the future. Is our LEA being blinded by the money at the expense of all else? They are trying to sort the Herefordshire Schools into nice neat packages that will be easy for them to run.

Hannah
I do hope that someone will read these messages and take notice!

Marie
After overcoming the effects of the news last week I am beginning to think logically about this ludicrous proposal. I believe that little thought has been given to the impact of these proposals on hundreds of people in our wonderful county. Many people will lose their jobs not only those directly working in schools but also companies that have contracts with them. The grounds maintenance staff, catering and cleaners. What prospects does anyone have of getting a job in education. The Marches are still advertising on the Radio for teacher training in the county, what is the point there will be no jobs for them. Young people and families will move away leaving very aging communities. The affect of school closures will affect them ,village shops and post offices will close as the regular passing school trade will not be there.The Government are encouraging children to walk to school 'Walk to school week' however this will not be possible as schools will be out of walking distance or routes on country roads are just not safe. How can we improve our carbon footprint when we are encouraging more vehicles on our roads. Then there the communities that will suffer. Village schools are at the very heart of the community closing them will have a huge impact on village life. What about the social side of schools? Some parents are going to become even more isolated. My children loved arranging to play at the school gate ,mums would go for coffee and networking was taking place. This will not happen as children will be bused around the county. I believe that this is purely a money saving scheme, it has nothing to do with providing 21st Centurry education for our children. Results show that many of our smaller school out perform the larger ones. if it is about money why aren't the council lobbying central Government for more money per child? Is it not right that out county recieves one of the lowest amounts per child in the country. Parental choice is also non existent in these proposals, it has nothing to do with middle class parents choosing small schools for their children.All parents want the best for their children and will do whatever they can to ensure they have the best opportunities. The other thing that concerned me today when I read about the Brilley children, moving schools can be very difficult for children to come to terms with, I know from experience. Children who move around because of parents work or whatever the reason, and nothing could be more traumatic than 2 schools you have been in closing, find it very difficult to form real friendships. My biggest concern is the time scale in which this is all supposed to happen. The new proposals will be released in June and then the schools will be given closure notices. Did I not read in the Hereford Times that it takes 2 years to closes a school? Heads, governors and teaching staff will need to be appointed, new schools built, temporaty accomodation will need to be put in place as the newly formed schools do not have the capacity for current numbers! All this will happen in 11 months, I think not. How distressing for all involved. Any change needs to be gradual so that people can adjust and make changes necessary. The happiness and well being of the children has to be the number one priority so that any change causes the least amount of distress. Results seem to be the most important thing in education at the moment, well I think you've just lowered our counties for the next few years considerably. If children are not secure and happy they won't achieve their full potential. I could go on all night now I've started!

Vicky
I have just attended the most well organised public meeting at Queen Elizabeth Humanities College Bromyard. Over 1000 were in attendance and the total opposition to these proposals was overwhelming. The intelligent questioning and the eloquent comments were a testimony to the depth of feelings in the Bromyard community who fail to see the common sense behind these proposals. Herefordians are certainly showing they will not take this lying down.

amy scragg
i was a past student at fairfield in peterchurch so i know firt hand what fairfiel is like and i feel my experiences there were nothing but good i continue to be amazed by their expansion all the time and feel that the opportunities i got there i would not have got them anywhere else. Even though many people think that as its a very small school it does not provide for many children but i think that the smaller the school the better theprovision for its students. There have been many improvements. There were many enjoyable experiences such as the school choir at christmas,subjects many schools would not have offered such as photography and BTEC animal care and the school prom that my year held last year along with the next day going to the sea side even though it was raining we had a great day. Also i wonder what will happen to Lauries Well and the Arnott Trail both built in the memory of influential people. Everyone who goes there ends up getting great GCSEs at the end of year 11 and i even got a B in D&T which i was surprised about as i thought i wasn't even going to get a D but the support of the teachers really helped me acheive the best grades i could. I am also worried as my brother is due to arrive there in two years. And i feel that if he has to go to another school he will not live up to his potential. The choices fairfield offer cannot compare to any other schools at all, i feel that my brother is missing out on alot and that he will not get the support or opportunities at any other school he is a very sporty boy and would love to get up on that huge sports field but now he won't get the chance. All in all i feel that to close down fairfield would be a terrible decision, and the council should rethink their decision

Jack
15 years ago(?), the govt delegated responsibily for school budget to the governors. If a school's roll is falling they have to manage the budget accordingly. Why are so many schools being axed because some of them have financial difficulties?

james Marsh
They say we matter so if we do leave are school alone weston under penyard is the best if you close im of to gloucester school no friends no teachers so no point DONT CLOSE OUR SCHOOL

Sarah Matthews
I nearly fell off a train platform when I heard this news! Having attended Fairfield High school some 10 years ago, I do not see how this proposal will benefit the education of the children. Fairfield is a unique and thriving school and the results are a testament to this.

Jon
Get a grip Hereford - you cannot be serious!

Julie Archer
Outrageous - how can any council even consider closing the jewel in its crown?

Victoria Ali
This is by far the worst idea Herefordshire council has ever come up with to save money. I can see how this will benefit some schools, but most definately will hinder others. Fairfield High School has a highly valued reputation and from personal experience I know it to provide the best teaching support and education in the whole of the county. Amalgamating Fairfield High school would be a big loss to those who hope to thrive and succeed at Fairfield High School!

pam bufton
this is yet another nail in the coffin for rural communities if it goes ahead. our local school is shobdon,one of those on the hit list but we are a great community and we will not let our school close .why is it nearly all rural ones are our children not as important as those from the city?

Rosa Hewitt
Personally my main concern is Fairfield High School in Peterchurch. As an ex-pupil i would like to say a few words abou this fantastic school. Fairfield is somewhere i could call home. The thing about it,is that its not just that they provide you with a good education they care about their pupils- noone goes unnnoticed!It is a school where parents are fighting to send their children to-surely there is something exceptionally good about it? It is set in a beautiful rural setting in the heart of the golden valley which is a very good environment for learning and it teaches people to still appreciate the natural wonders of our world. Chris Barker(the current headteacher) has made it an amazing place. In the past 5-6 years there have been a number of big changes at Fairfield. 1. A new school hall built. 2. a new science block. 3.new drama studio 4.new art and DT rooms 5.new music rooms 6.new land has been bought now with a playing field and animals- why would anyone be so ridiculous to change a school such as this?! 'Small schools, however happy they might be, can never provide the facilities needed to prepare children for life in the twenty-first century.'(written by Mrs Margaret Swains below)I was very upset by this comment and i totally disagree.Margret Swains(if you read this site again) what exactly do you mean by 'facilities'?I believe(as an ex-pupil of a rural school) that i have been more been equipped with more than enough to be able to cope with the 21st Century its not as if these schools are 'out of the ark'(admittedly Fairfield has a lot of animals)but it does provide a high level of education and is actually very highly rated nationally.

Steve
I agree with the statements of Joanne Yates Chair Kingstone HS PTFA and wonder if this is how Herefordshire LEA and council are forcing parents to support the proposed Academy status of Wyebridge. We do not need to expand schools which are not performing well to the detriment of those who constantly have good results.

Bosbury Parent
My daughter leaves this wonderful school this year. I have seen Bosbury grow from strength to strength over the last 10 years. Geographically it makes no sense. Environmentally, to increase peoples carbon footprints is madness (not to mention the poor state of the roads and flooding problems on the Bosbury Road. I also can empathise with Eastnor parents/teachers, who are equally proud of their school but who might have to find themselves having to 'fit in' to a very well established community at Bosbury, new building or not. This planning does not allow for the emotional wellbeing of a vast number of children, parents teachers and indeed two communities.

John Harradence
Local and national politicians seem obsessed with the idea that bigger is better but this flies in the face of experience. So far as education is concerned, their meddling is almost always counterproductive. Schools should be about developing a curiosity about the world and love of learning in children not exam factories. Small schools where teachers know the children and parents are much better able to provide the education our children deserve and our country needs. Local schools also play an important part in keeping families in our villages and helping to maintain mixed communities with local shops, libraries and post offices.

Ray
Why close a brilliant sixth form at Lady Hawkins and force the students to travel at least 14 miles each way to Leominster (which does not have a suitably timed bus service) or 20 miles to Hereford.

Paul Grindrod Bromyard
What affect will this have on our children’s final years at school?The stress of moving to a new school with new teachers and colleges must have a massive affect on there exams results.Also the traveling issues will be another problem our children will have to overcome.Never mind the cost, which will most defiantly be carried over to the parents.

nicola barlow
i think it is discrace full i go to queen elizabeth humanities college and my mum and here brother went there and they both said that the school is akmazing and they are pleased with the progress it is making and it would be a shame for it to close

Maureen McAllister - Evesham
It's all very well the councils being practical and trying to save money and I can sympathise with them but Children do well in small schools. Teachers have more time for the pupils and know them as individuals not just numbers. Bullying is rare because the small numbers mean that any bad behaviour is at once spotted and curbed. The other thing is that families do not have far to take the children to school. Larger schools mean bussing in and longer days for children and parents alike. Hands off the schools I say!!!!

Louise
My child attends our local school (Eastnor) which is listed for closure. It is not the smallest school in Herefordshire, nor I believe, have the lowest pupil/teacher ratios. It certainly does not have the "best facilities", (no onsite playing field, no school hall) but does year after year attain excellent academic results, and more importantly in my mind than academic results, engender a friendly, accessible atmosphere, where every child is made welcome and supported by the other children (the number of Christmas cards received by my child this year bears this out). It is also the school where my child's father, uncle, aunties, cousins, grandfather, second cousins, attended - so I don't think we can be accused of being "incomers". If closure is proposed on the basis of falling pupil numbers overall, why is Eastnor constantly oversubscribed for Reception class places every year - many parents in Ledbury (which is only 2 miles away - if a closer school wasn't available their children still wouldn't warrant school bus provision as it is too close) list it as their 1st preference - it is not uncommon for twice as many applications as places are available to be received - past figures do bear this out. Maybe I am "middle-classed", but Arnie, I don't drive my child to a non-catchment area school, just to the local village school, and to ask me to pay the cost of transport 14 miles a day to the replacement school would quickly reduce my meagre income to ensure that we became lower class!Herefordshire LEA's figures do not stand up to scrutiny. There seems to be far too many closures/amalgamations than are necessary. I can see that cutting out "dead wood" might be necessary,if child numbers drop as the statistics suggest,(and I am sure next week another statistician could produce a completely opposite proposal) but ripping perfectly good and healthy schools from their communities is never justified.

Carmen Orgee
Closing the QE Humanities College in Bromyard is appalling. The headteacher and staff have worked very hard to raise academic standards and to build an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect with students. Don't punish success. The school is at the heart of the community. If the school closes the town will die. As a rural county we should be fighting hard to keep the countryside alive. Given that the Minster school is one of the worst performing schools in the county the Council/LEA obviously need to do something to improve the situation there, but the future of the children of Bromyard should not be sacrificed in order to do so. Who died and made Leominster king?

Sharon and Jason Prior
Our son attends Holme Lacy Primary School which is one of the proposed schools for closure. We live in South Wye and choose to send our son to Holme Lacy because we feel that he would thrive in a small school family environment where he would achieve and grow into a mature and confident person. A lot of parents from South Wye have chosen to send their children to Holme Lacy for exactly these reasons. Closing Holme Lacy School will be taking away the parents choice to send their children to a small school. Forcing these children into large overcrowded schools where there is simply not enough room. We feel that Herefordshire Council are not aware of exactly how many children from the South Wye area rely on the village schools for choice and diversity. Not all children are the same it isn't a case of "one size fits all" some children do better in a smaller school environment. Closing Holme Lacy School would be devastating as it is such a lovely school where the children feel happy in their environment. We really need to highlight the fact that we need village schools! please do not let this mass "cull" happen!

marcus smith
It's a cut too far that will devastate communities.The councillors and officials that have produced these proposals are obviously not working for the good of the County and should be replaced.

Mike
Annie Wake Up and Smell The coffee!! we are using our local catchmemt school! And less of the Precious Middle class malarchy too !!! Thank you

Jo Pullen
As a parent of 2 children at Bosbury Primary I feel so sorry for the staff who have worked so hard and enthusiastically to make the school so wonderful. It is almost full, so where is the logic in closing it, renaming it and re-opening it with exactly the same capacity. The maths don't add up, the penpusher who came up with this idea needs to go back to school to re-address their numeracy skills. The school which the proposal wants to incorporate into the Bosbury site, Eastnor Primary, is on the other side of Ledbury. Yet more congestion in the town of Ledbury.

Bob
look up the career background of S. Menghini ( Herefordshire Council-Education) seems everywhere she has been there has been a Startegic Review with cuts following....now it's our turn.Well Ms. Menghini we will fight you all The Way !

Mitchell, Connor & Madison - Weston-under-Penyard
Please don't close our school. We all love it and it will be really upsetting if we have to be split up from our best friends that we have been with since we were 2 years old. Please, please don't just think of money, think of all us children this is going to affect. PLEASE DON'T CLOSE OUR SCHOOL

Arnie
Let's keep all the precious small schools open. Let's allow precious middle-class parents to drive their kids to non-catchment schools. So what if this means other schools are under-funded? This "I'm alright Jack" attitude is terrible. Why not be a bit more open-minded and see it as a way to clear out a bit of dead wood, improve facilities and encourage kids back to their catchment schools.

Charlotte Webb
I am very confused! I moved my daughter to the village school this september as she went into year two. I was happy with her progress at the school in Hereford that she attended but we moved to Sutton and after much agonising realised it made sense for her to reap the benifits of attending the local school. My daughter is so happy, she has settled well, is making excellent progress and now we as a family we really are part of this fantastic community. It is no secret that Sutton is a small school and in recent years has gone through a period of change. At present we share two excellent head teachers with Lord Scudamore which is really working, everyone at Sutton school is committed which was reflected in our most recent ofsted results. We are all looking forward to moving to our long awaited new school in the near future. The new school has been fought for for many many years and is an excellent facility for the children of Sutton. But I am confused! On the Herefordshire Council Website the school is built for 84 pupils. The amalagamation with Withington according to the council will make a school for 105 pupils. However there are about 140 pupils not including either pre school. Where are those extra pupils going? Surely not in the temporary accomodation the council so eagerly want to remove? Where are the pre school going? This is before we look at the upheavial of yet another change for the children of Sutton and the stress for the children of Withington, who not only have to move school but travel there everyday! I would like to know the impact on the carbon footprint! Are we not supposed to be reducing carbon omissions. Have the council also taken into considerate the reduction to the intake of surrounding village schools Marden, Bodenham and Wellington? Under Government housing policy Herefordshire must build a large quantity of new homes over the next twenty years. At present there is a plan for 16,500 homes in the county with half planned for the city and the other have for market towns and rural villages where will these children go to school? I really do not think Herefordshire council have thought this through.

Emma and James Puxty
Our son goes to one of the smallest schools in Herefordshire - Kings Caple. It is the most wonderful, friendly happy school who provide a fabulous range of activities and achieve excellent academic results. The school runs its budget "in the black" and all staff, parents and pupils are in deep shock at the announcement made last Friday.Herefordshire needs publicity to highlight what one could describe as a "school cull". We feel it is totally unnecessary. Feel other options could be researched first - for instance, we would be happy to provide a donation to the school, to enhance funds per head. Kings Caple may be the second smallest in the county, but is really is a special school with fabulous teachers that simply bring the very best out in the pupils who are lucky to attend.Please help highlight our plight.With our best wishesJames and Emma Puxty

Garrad Williams
I just cannot believe that Hereford Council are trying to get away from local community schooling. My son is in Clehonger C of E,one of the schools that has been proposed to close. The proposal is that the smaller rural schools close to fill the forecasted vacant places at the new Riverside school. Again the council has no understanding about community, all they are interested in is saving money. For all the wrong reasons I may add.

Duncan Hunter
As a parent of two children attending Eastnor Parochial Primary with two more due to join in the next couple of years I am angry and disappointed. What a short sighted response to falling primary school numbers, (which is to be doubted if migration into the county continues). Many of the rural primary schools earmarked for amalgamation(read closure) are providing an excellent education, and the children who attend them achieving better results than underperforming urban schools. Furthermore if school numbers are falling surely this is the opportunity for both local and national government to put its money where its mouth is and reduce class sizes not spend money on new buildings for amalgamated schools.

Don CC
Nowhere in the review is any reference made to the current number on roll. If you check the individual school website details the proposals become even more ludicrous. Why are popular schools punished. For example why consider tranferring Lord Scudamore with 632 to a new site for 420 pupils and reducing the numbers at Trinity which currently has 525 children but retaining Holmer which has more than 150 vacant spaces. I expect we are supposed to think that by cutting PAN for the city schools more money will be available for the remaining schools but in fact 7 of the schools with reduced PAN are already operating and therefore financed at the proposed new level.Why build a new school of 630 in a catchment area with only 442 children. I realise that these plans are for the future but can we be absolutely sure that the predicted numbers for the Kington Pyramid 544 will fall neatly into 7 year groups of 65 and that no new families will move into the area because with the current proposals there is not one single vacant space. Has anyone considered where the cars will park in Eardisley whilst the Almeley parents who do not live far enough away to qualify for school transport drop their children off. It appears that the magic number is 105 Why then are 2 schools being amalgamated to form a school of 85. Why is a new school being considered for a school with only 64 children? Is this another Sutton mistake?

Christopher George
It is the Labour Government that is causing this problem by allocating to Hereford the third lowest funding per pupil in the country. If only the average payout to Unitary authorities was given Herefordshire would gain an additional £7.5 million. It should also be stressed that the proposals are only suggestions. Everyone must ensure that they know the facts in each case so that arguments are made on a factual basis.

Nicola Price
The reasons given for the closures are falling roll numbers - however Weston-under-Penyard, Ross-on-Wye has consistently maintained and even increased the number of children attending. Clearly I am interested in highlighting Weston-under-Penyard's plight as both of my children attend. Weston-under-Penyard is a fabulous village school with a strong sense of community and mutual respect. We have 84 on roll and every single child is known by and knows every member of staff and every other child. Weston-under-Penyard is often highlighted within the press and the education system for producing children who are extremely caring, polite and respectful - as well as having received an excellent start to their educational life - borne out by our Ofsted report. The real cost of closing Weston-under-Penyard however, is the destruction of our community cohesion. And this will be the result in many Herefordshire villages. In Weston-under-Penyard, without a school, the local (very successful, and Ofsted rated Outstanding) playgroup will not be needed, neither will the Toddler group. Since these are the main source of income for the Village Hall - the continuance of the Village Hall is put into jeopardy, thus displacing the retired persons short mat bowlers and old age pensioner social groups. The school also pays for the maintenance of the community recreation field (some £3200). The other main user of the field is Weston-under-Penyard's exteremly successful Football Club. They cannot afford to cover this cost and will be forced to move or disband. The school has extermely strong links with the church - maintained even in the absence of a vicar for the last eighteen months. The church is full on every occasion the school is involved and representatives of the church regularly take assemblies and spend time in School. Weston-under-Penyard Church will lose all of this upon closure of the school. Property values, and planning applications will be affected. Weston-under-Penyard will become a less attractive place to move into. Parents will have to travel further to take their children to school. (I currently walk to school and will now have to take the car.) No account for the negative impact on the county's carbon footprint seems to have been made. Clearly Weston-under-Penyard is close to my heart - but Herefordshire is a beautiful county with many strong village communities. At one stroke this will be decimated. We know rural isolation is a real problem in our county and everything every village has put into place to combat this is being threatened. The village school is at the heart of so many communities and the community impact of closing village schools is being disregarded and disrespected by the council. Potentially falling roll numbers are a problem, however surely to turn the county's entire education system upsidedown is not the answer. Studies have shown a school takes 5 years to recover from an amalgamation. To create this situation county wide is just not acceptable. These children are our future and are vital to the future success of our county, and the challenges faced by a rural county in this day and age. It is not acceptable, and it is not fair to put an entire generation of our children through this. Sharon Menghini has not visited any of the schools in the John Kyrle catchement outside of Ross. We now have an 8 week consultation period in which to fight the proposals. Weston is holding an Open Meeting on Thursday 17th January 2008 at 7pm at Weston Village Hall to discuss the proposals. Politicians and members of the press are attending. Midlands Today are sending a film crew to the school on Monday 14th January 2008 at 8.15am We do not intend to accept this proposal. We do intend to fight it all the way. We do not want to lose our school, but we just cannot lose our community in this way.

mark layland
Hereford LEA clearly think it a good idea to close a school that is in the top dozen in the country, that produces excellent results, has well behaved, happy polite, friendly pupils, is fully subscribed (ie has no pupil vacancies), has a waiting list and is within 2 miles of Ledbury. A school that was described by OFSTED as: "This is a good school that has some very good and some outstanding features. There is a very strong work ethic, very good leadership and management, and some very good teaching in most parts of the school. The majority of pupils achieve well and standards are well above average.Overall, the school gives good value for money."So well done Hereford CC & LEA for a proposal that completely destroys everything that is good and offers nothing in return. Perhaps this is in the guise of cost cutting - but where the saving lies is elusive. They would be better off not spending £4,000 on a painting that is only worth £300 or wasting money on the Bulmers offices. Besides, the money they would claim to save is ours, so surely we should have a say as to how its spent.In addition, in the Ledbury area ALL of the nearby primary schools are full, so where HCC propose to bus these young children to remains a mystery. Perhaps they will convert their offices into classrooms. This would be quite good because they could get the education that they clearly seem to be lacking!!

Barbara Stewart
In terms of practicallity, this does not make sense, to build a new school of any size takes at least 2 years, plus the planning process. Will the county improve transport for the proposed larger schools. No public transport exists between Bromyard and Leominster.

Jones
Dont do it its a ridiclicious thing to do think of the poor kids who have just settled in to there new school they will have to leave it to do.

Andrew and Shirley Edwards
We were devastated to hear that Queen Elizabeth is under threat of closure. After looking around at secondary schools we chose QE as our first choice for our daughter who is to join in September. The enthusiasm of the Headteacher and all the staff impressed us more than all of the other schools we visited. Also the improving results, and caring attude of QE won us over. Why would anyone close such a vastly improving school.

Mrs Helen James
The proposal to close Pencombe C of E Primary School will cause the closure of the Playgroup, Parents and Tots and Parish Hall as well as losing an excellent Church of England Primary School. The school itself is thriving and has an outstanding OFSTED, so popular if fact that children have to apply for a place and tensely wait to see if they have been excepted. The building has had a number of improvements in the last few years, including a new classroom, reception and IT suite. I have two children at the school and a third about to start Pencombe Playgroup, please do not take this wonderful school away from us. The village of Pencombe will never survive without it.

Daniel Wilkes
I am utterly disgusted that Herefordshire Council is willing to cause such a massive upheaval, and destroy many rural communities in the process, on the basis of some very dodgy statistics. Remember- statistics can be used to prove anything. It is very much in the interests of Herefordshire Council to close these schools, as it will mean an increase in their education funding from central government- I've heard figures quoted of as much as £80 million. (As the government have promised to pay for the building of 5 new schools and the refurbishment of half of the existing provision). To the mind of the average person this seems ridiculous, backward- but these aren't average people, they're Herefordshire councillors. Reducing school provision to get more money is utter madness, and is nothing but giving in to government bribery. Herefordshire currently has the third lowest education funding per pupil in the entire country- well below the national average of £4000 - why don't we demand equal treatment before we start closing all our schools?As an ex-pupil of one of the schools that is set to close, Llangrove -which, I hasten to add, is a very new building with excellent IT facilities- I find Mrs Swains' comment that "Small schools... can never provide the facilities needed to prepare children for life in the twenty-first century" insulting in the extreme. I have done extremely well from my education in a school of just 70 pupils. What evidence has she to support such a bold statement? This is a typical 'townie' attitude, presuming that bigger is always better. I am particularly against the closure of Llangrove- of course because of the excellent education it provides, but even more so because of the plans for its pupils. The Council seek to combine a school of over 50 pupils, with Whitchurch - a school of 103 pupils- to give a new school of 105 pupils. You do the maths. What happens to the children who can't get in? There are several such oversights in the Council's plans.I plan to join the campaign to stop these potentially disastrous changes- where my A level studies will allow- but I don't hold out that much hope. Herefordshire Council has a long history of deciding to do something, opening it up for "discussion", and then pressing on despite overwhelming public opinion to the contrary. To announce these plans so late (the schools are to be closed by September 2009) and to give the people until only April to raise objections, the council are hoping there won't be much of a fight. I hope they are proved very, very wrong.

Sally Beard
These cuts are insane! Trying to cut back on money?-means more expense to the parents not to mention the affect on our children! We are going to fight this all the way!

Cherry Dickson
As an ex-pupil of Queen Elizabeth Bromyard and a current teacher, I feel devasted by the news for both teachers and pupils of the school. If the council/LA had prevented falling numbers, by not allowing parents to send their children to comprehensive schools in Hereford when there is a perfectly adequate school at the heart of Bromyard's community, then they might not be in such a financial mess. The Head and staff there have worked exceptionally hard to turn the school around, building its reputation up and what a way to reward them. Disgusting!No doubt the children of Bromyard's education will suffer. Just because they live in the countryside, does not mean they deserve a second rate education. They deserve a good school, at the heart of their community!

Nathan
I go to Shobdon School, it is THE BEST SCHOOL and the teachers are all really helpful and kind. The school is lovely and Mrs Hancock, the Headmistress, is the best. She does lots of things for us all, and lots of afterschool clubs. We do lots of things to get the people of the village to come in to school too. We had a harvest festival and different events to get all the village involved. The Village shop looks afer us with fundraising and we all love the shop as it is next door and they have helped us with our safer walking to school route.The preschool are also in the school and it helps them when they start school to know the building and also see their friends there too. We love our school and our friends and teachers. WE DO NOT WANT TO MOVE ANYWHERE ELSE AND LIKE BEING ABLE TO WALK TO SCHOOL BECAUSE IT IS HEALTHIER AND BETTER FOR THE WORLD NOT USING THE CARS.Nathan

Pete Davies
I'm e-mailing from Stoke-on-Trent, and our council are trying to pull a similar 'fast one'. They've told us that falling rolls are to blame, too. It's a bit of a coincidence, if you ask me! Don't believe them - there's an ulterior political motive going on here. Such upheavals will cause mayhem, confusion and unprecedented difficulties in every school and community - fight them all the way...as we intend to do! STOP THE POLITICISATION OF EDUCATION! Good Luck!

Anne Lewis
I appreciate that changes have to be made. However these proposals are so far reaching that the Education in Herefordshire will be desimated. This is a rural community whereby children and young people will be faced with long journeys. These objectives do not fit into the Every Child Matters Agenda and are certainly not in the best interests of our children. Hereford Council cannot even give costings as to what these proposed changes will save. Ludicrous!

Jean Davies
Herefordshire has many strong village communities. At a stroke this will be decimated. Rural isolation is a real problem in our county and everything every village has put in place to combat this is being threatended. The village school is at the heart of so many communities and the community impact of closing village schools is being disregarded and disrespected by the council. No figures have yet been provided by the council such as the cost of this exercise. The Director of Childrens Education Services has not bothered to visit hardly any of the schools, cetainly not any of those situated outside Ross on Wye, in The John Kyrle High School catchment area . No account has been made of the increased distances children will have to travel or for the negative impact on the county's carbon footprint seems to have been made

Cathy Andrews
I am very disapointed that the government is planning these changes. My childrens' school, Whitchurch CE, has a wonderful teaching staff that have created a school that educates children to the very highest level in all academic and social areas. If the school were to close and a new one opened the whole ethos of the school would change. It takes at least a year for new teachers to establish in a new school. This will damage the education for all children, as well as increasing class sizes to a level where individual education will suffer. All this from a government that pledged for improved 'education, education education'. Please help all Herefordshire schools to fight these changes by writing a letter of objection to your local MP. It will take people power to change this and we can all help.

Liz Glyn-Jones
Talk about throwing out baby with the bath water!! All the teachers will have to reapply for half the jobs. My children's school (Almeley)has a fantastic head, amazing and committed teachers and excellent sats and ofsted. Brilley school closed last summer and all the children were moved to Almeley and have suffered from the move - why move them once only to do it again in 18 months time??How come the council has money to squander on IT but not to save our wonderful rural schools that are doing a fantastic job??

Jean O'Donnell
This will cause a huge increase in travelling by car. Children will not have friends nearby.

Trisha Baxter
This is going to upset so many small communities. Why close schools to build new ones. Surely put more money into existing schools where numbers are low and results are high and keep that going. Parent Eastnor Primary School

Pauline Brace
Cracking a nut with a sledgehammer! I am stunned that the LEA can plan such drastic and damaging action which is, in my opinion, shorth sighted and blinkered, under the guise of a long term cost effective proposal. Aren't our children worth more than this? We should be investing in their future. Fairfield school, as always, has a waiting list, and has proved itself to be an amazing school. Just look at the results it achieves year in year out. The LEA has a gem and instead of nurturing it with pride they plan to close it. Where is the sense? Parents choose to move to catchment of such amazing schools, it seems we are to be dictated to now. Kingstone is fine just as it is, make it bigger and what then? I fail to see how increasing the number of children can ever be with those childrens best interests at heart. Small schools have the ability to nurture our children on a personal level. Are the LEA seriously expecting us to welcome schools on an inner city scale and be thankful? I have 4 children in the school system in Peterchurch, and small village schools certainly do offer a wonderful, up to date education. We moved house to ensure my children could attend schools which would bring out the best in them. Many people in this village live here because of the schools. That isnt changing, parents want schools like Fairfield for their children. If its not broken, why fix it?? Why not look at the undersubscribed schools and change them? We should be trying to replicate the educational institutes that work well, not closing them down. Schools are often the heart of the community, without them the knock on effects will be extremely damaging. I am disgusted by these proposals. Is this the best solution they could come up with? Seems to be lacking in vision. Surely they can do better than this???

Lawrence Benner
Herefordshire Council has stated that their primary reason for school amagamations and closures is due to the reduction in the student population in the county. 12% of school places are presently unoccupied and by 2012 this will have increased by 20%. Are thses statistics accurate? Who compiled these statistics? Central government has admitted that they have been unable to determine the total number of new immigrants to the UK and therefore any estimates on population figures are potentially inaccurate.What is the point of closing rural schools in the short term when we may need to reopen them due to poulation growth. Herefordshire schools regularly perform better then the national average. This in part must be due to a favourable teacher student ratio in village schools. Why ruin a good system that is working well? The best advice would be for Herefordshire Council and Central Government to back off meddling with an excellent school system. Herefordshire is one of the most popular counties for people in the UK to relocate; ask any estate agent. In addition we have on of the highest rates of foreign immigrants to the county. In other words the child population is likely to increase at sometime in the future. The Concil and Central Government should concentrate their attention on the county's highways and health structure and not be allowed to damage the education of our children.

Angie Mowbray
Our school is almost full to the proposed capacity (9 short), yet the council want to close it, rename it, and amalgamate with another primary school. This IS ridiculous, it's not even an amalgamation with the village next door. Small children especially should not have to be bussed around the county just to attend primary school. I feel saddened for the schools which could potentially close, Bromayard especially, it will kill the town. I hope other MPs follow Bill Wiggins example and support their communities in the same way as him.

Dorothy
It makes sense to cut as running the shcools costs a lot of money and if that money can be spend better so be it.It is lovely having all those nice and cosy village schools but money doesn't grow on trees. We have to work together to make the right decisions. Changes are some times very healthy for everyone.

Sharon Challenger - Weston-under-Penyard CofE Scho
This news is just disgusting. Our school is at the heart of our community and it would affect the whole village so adversely. First and foremost the children will be distraught, our village hall would not be able to afford to be kept running, the church would suffer, our playgroup would have to be closed and so on. How short sighted is this? What makes me mad is the fact that the people making these decisions have never even visited our schools or villages. Yet again it's all down to money, we have a wonderful school with excellent teachers, really good results and no problem with numbers.We really have to fight this and do everything in our power to protect our schools and communities. In our school we started our campaign within hours of being told of our closure. Parents, children, teachers and residents have been wonderful, we were in school for a meeting all of Saturday morning then back in yesterday for campaign distribution then everyone was at school for 8 o'clock this morning ready for Midlands Today to interview teachers, children and parents for the news tonight, also the local newspapers were there to do reports. We have so much support for our school.WE WILL NOT BE CLOSED AND WE ARE READY TO FIGHT THIS TO THE END!!

Corbett
How to kill a town in one blow of the axe

Jo Carter
Weston-Under-Penyard Primary School is a popular and thriving school with a rich history. Closure will devastate the children and the community. The proposed amalgamation cannot possibly accommodate all the children from Weston so some children will end up being split up from their friends and sent elsewhere with all the misery that will cause. Will the "new" school be forced to have classes of 40 to cope with the increase in numbers? The loss of Weston school will lead to the demise of other village facilities such as the pre-school and village hall. All the small villages effected by these closures will lose their hearts.I have children at Weston and Lea schools. They are both fantastic. Let's keep them both. This shocking proposal is short sighted and rushed. The consultation period is totally inadequate according to the Department for Children, Schools and Families guidance. Anyone fighting closure should look at the DCSF website and read the Closing Schools document.Let's all fight these closures for the sake of future generations too.

Lorraine
Have the council visited all the areas affected by this plan and seen how far some children will have to travel? I am sure that most of them think that it will be within walking distance!

anne bounton-preece
What the county fail to take into consideration is that these schools are not just places to gain an education,but in many of these small villages they form the heart of the community!

Liz Fox
Sad & shortsighted news. The schools in rural Herefordshire provide an excellent education for all their pupils. Especially those who work in a clustering system sharing teachers, expertise & facilities yet retaining their individuality. This is the kind of education which which enables the villages to stay alive by retaining their centres & provides individuality in learning. How awful if this disappeared for budget reasons.Have they thought of the costs ,both financial & in time of busing children outside their areas!

David Kemp
As the current Chairman of Bromyard and Bringsty Conservative Branch and a teacher at Queen Elizabeth Humanities College, I am delighted that our local MP, Bill Wiggin has asked to be Patron of the Campaign to keep the school in Bromyard open.

Vera Harcombe
Yet another stupid cost cutting effort by this incompetent government. More bussing to bigger school as this is a rural and scattered community (St Weonards, Garway, Llangrove) with children as young as 5 having to start from home very early in the morning I despair and wonder why I gave 5 years of my youth to fight against domination. I am glad my grandchildren are all Australians... there is a little more sense over there

janet payne
Although I know longer live in the county I was educated at Leominster and am a teacher. I have extensive family connections and I am shocked at the scale of these changes. Small schools are beautiful often very sucessful and the heart of the community. Lots of teachers will lose their jobs. Travelling for them and pupils will be increased. Congestion in and around Hereford will increase. Also, lots of money has been spent on some schools by the LEA and parent/ teacher groups. What a waste. Is this far reaching plan about frightening people into acceping changes because the powers that be will back track on some to give the impression they are listening?Also one further point the government figures for population growth are already discredited and do the officers in Herefordshire have any idea about the numbers of migrant children in the county? Certainly my health visitor sister is seeing lots of small children in such families and I know one polish child is now on role at Kings Caple primary school. Not everything in life can be valued with money as the criteria.

Joanna Baker
I feel that these cut backs are a great shame and will effect our local communities enormously, as well as the education of our young people. It seems that little thought has been put into these proposals. We must all fight for our local primary schools.

Valerie Sear
A very sad state of affairs. My grandchildren go to school in that region and it could mean travelling to school in the future which will be very difficult as there are very few buses and if there are they are very expensive. I doubt the government could care less about that.

Jane Ward
What they are doing is shocking,they haven`t taken into account the teachers alot of which will lose their jobs with complete disruption to our childrens education, whilst this change takes place, All the teachers will have to re apply for the jobs that are left and head teachers jobs will be advertised nationally, so the children will have a total change in their education, to some children their teachers are like an extension to their family and the lose of that is going to be extremly disruptive, and the authority thinks this will be good for our kids, whats this country coming to when we have to save money at the expense of our children, our future,My daughter has panic attacks if it wasn`t for the staff in her primary school, she wouldn`t have an education, they built a trust with her that cant be broken and she is now terrified she will lose her teachers and what do you tell a 9 year our how do you explain to them that its the council cost cutting. I agree that some cuts need to be made but not on such a large scale in such a short period of time.

Mr & Mrs Kroese, Bromyard
Bonkers! Why close perfectly good schools just to build new ones? In the future we'll be living in big cities cause there are no schools in the country side, no new build houses projects, no jobs. The country side will be out of reach for anybody with children, anybody with a job. It will just be a play ground for the rich for hunting, o sorry not allowed... Bromyard is in the centre of Hereford, Worcester, Malvern, Leominster. It should be a centre for excellent schools and excellent housing! Herefordshire council financial mismanagement is not our fault but does now become our problem!Best wishes from very angry young professional parents looking for a good local school of our choice!

Charlotte Layland
I have been a pupil at Eastnor Primary School for 5 years and have been very happy there. Its a lovely school. Please don't close it.

natalie coates
Absolutely ridiculous!!On a number of levels this proposal is going to wreck havoc for Herefordshire; children will be uprooted with their education, extra hassle for boths parents and children in getting to a school further away, teachers careers affected drastically and therefore they will be literally fighting for places in newly amalgamated schools. Not to mention the roads clogged up even more! I live in Bristol but come from Herefordshire and am astounded at the council's 'review'. I have a younger brother that this will affect, he and others don't need this upheaval. It's another way for Herefordshire council to cut back and reap in money, to the detrament of those that actually live in the real world!!

Virginia Fenton
A very drastic measure which will have far reaching negative long term consequences for the County.Parent Governor/Eastnor Primary

Emily
Did any one pause to think how these cuts are going to affect all of the preschools and playgroups surrounding these small schools?

Jonathan Harris
Whoever dreamt up this nonsense needs to go back to school!

Mrs Margaret Swains
Congratulations to Herefordshire Council for being bold enough to do what is necessary for the future of our children. Small schools, however happy they might be, can never provide the facilities needed to prepare children for life in the twenty-first century.

Chay Sykes
disgusting

Sarah Murrin
I cannot see what would be gained by possibly shutting a school like Fairfield, where it is recognised as one of the best schools in the county and has even made the top 100 schools in the country. It serves a large local community and people have been known to move into the area so they can send their children to one of the best schools for many miles around.There has also been a substantial amount of money spent by the LEA and council in upgrading the facilities at the school, is this just another way of showing how this council likes to waste money and time if they are seriously thinking of shutting this school

Kelly Price
More traveling for people, which will lead to more polution and Little Villages are under threat to loose everything. I don't want my child in a school of 200+ pupils this government will kill us all!How many more people will this lead to Job seekers allowance? and other benefits which also this so called GOOD government is trying to cut back on. Where and when is all this pathetic ideas going to stop what kind of world will our children be living in - GOD HELP THEM ALL!!!!!

Penny
I feel that Herefordshire Council has published these proposals with the interests of the pupils at heart. They are providing for our childrens futures by making sure schools have the best teachers, the best heads and also that money is not used to pay for empty places in schools. We should be proud that our council are not sitting back and doing nothing when there is a real issue of less children in our schools.

joanne yates Chair Kingstone HS PTFA
I do not agree with reducing the number of places in total at Kingstone/Fairfield as both schools are already oversubscibrd. The only logic for this is to force pupils to the expanded Wyebridge which is chronically undersupported already. We do not need to expand an unpopular school and we do not need any more religous schools. All schools emphasise the need for partnership with parents. Young people too have very clear ideas at age 10 about their preferred secondary schools. Shame Herefordshire council thinks pupils opinions are not worth listening too. The children have already told you what they want in their school preferences. Fewer places at Fairfield and Kingstone and more at Wyebridge is in fact the exact opposite of what they want.

L.Willmott
Will any of these changes lead to smaller class sizes ? Some of these schools,such as Pencombe have had a fortune spent on building improvements in recent years and compared to larger primary schools offered a much better level of education. Are economics the main consideration always? From the example at Pencombe the higher standard was achieved because the class sizes were smaller.Although now retired I have taught over the full range of primary schools in the County, and the ressults spoke for themselves. The smaller the class the better the results from the children.

Tracey McInnes
I think it is absolutely disgusting the way the Council have handled this situation. One of the main reasons for us relocating to the countryside when we returned to Herefordshire was so that our son could go to a reasonably sized village school and not be overwhelmed by large classes and hordes of other children all clamouring for attention. We can only pray that these "proposals" stay just that - proposals. I owe my son a duty of care as a parent to ensure that he receives the best education available to him and if merging these schools is going to compromise his learning ability in any way then I will have no hesitation in placing him elsewhere. Somewhere where learning is considered as a priority over government spending.

Tracey McInnes
I think it is absolutely disgusting the way the Council have handled this situation. One of the main reasons for us relocating to the countryside when we returned to Herefordshire was so that our son could go to a reasonably sized village school and not be overwhelmed by large classes and hordes of other children all clamouring for attention. We can only pray that these "proposals" stay just that - proposals. I owe my son a duty of care as a parent to ensure that he receives the best education available to him and if merging these schools is going to compromise his learning ability in any wat then I will have no hesitation in placing him elsewhere. Somewhere where learning is considered as a priority over government spending.

Neil vanstone
What an absolute disgrace.These proposals will rip the heart out of small communities, The small village school is the life blood of our local villages The individual identity of our local schools should be defended at all cost.Our son attends Lea school, which currently has good class sizes which allow not only our own son but other children to flourish.This decision is an absolute disgrace

harry
your wasting your time fairfeild is the best school around

Astrid McBride
Lunacy!

charlie
very sad and very short sighted of the government

Ryan williams
I do think that it is stupid that they are affecting the kids that in four years are doing there GCSEs.

Nigel Shaw
Once again we have the bean counters jeopardising what is at the very heart of our small rural communities. Once these schools, often at the very epicentre of a village ,close, they will never reopen. The sound of children playing at break; of carol services and end of year occasions in the local church. All of this is lost, forever. All of this despite the overwhelming evidence that the majority of our small ,local, rural schools outperform their larger urban counterparts in producing children that have better SATS results and are better known by and know their part in the local community. We here grandoise talk from central government about how they are eager to bolster community spirit; it's a shame that their education department doesn't recognise the part that it needs to play in protecting and enhancing rural life. Perhaps some of these schools could share a headmaster, if cost savings have to be sought? Could we have some evidence that the level of savings to be made warrants such wholesale closure of schools and the resultant emasculation of communities? After emphasising the oportunities to get children to walk /cycle to their local school we now have the necessity of adding more vehicles, more road miles and more CO2 outputs to the County as parents are forced to take their children further to school.There will be no savings for their fuel bills as they are forced to drive their children further afield.

Donna Hopkins
It is necessary....its not the end of the world.Our school in a village closedin 1982...our village still has a v strong community,lots going on,all kids go to next village to schoolCan't see what the fuss about,welcome to the real world,if this biggest problem people have ever had,u have been v lucky so far.Village life continues+kids adapt...its not like we are having an earthquake or something.Parents can get together to get their kids to+from after school activities.

Graham Powell
Are these changes purely economic or are they genuinely for the benefit of pupils. No costings available, no measure of the impact on the communities involved & no measure of the environmental damage caused by the mass of buses and cars needed to travel the extra miles. A shambolic, poorly thought out presentation that will hopefully be thrown out by the council in April.

Sue Benbow
I can see the need for reducing the number of schools but what happens to the pupils in year 6 now that have recently selected their high school? Will they get chance to reselect their school inlight of this information.

Isla Wilkinson
As a current sixth form student at the Minster College. I believe that all of the latest schooling cuts are deffinately a cut too far. It takes the meaning our of a good education, thus increasing class sizes and all the rest that follows. Not Good.

Mrs Emma Carpenter
the children will suffer the most, teachers might lose their jobs. something needs to be done and parents need to take action, to stop this change from happening. My children go to Kingstone primary.