Contradictions

It could all sound a bit like 1984 double-speak.

 Let’s have a look at a few discrepancies here.

They want to close our school because it’s too small. Yet last year, when High Hesket and Lazonby were fighting to retain pupils, and trying to prove the merits of larger schools, County disregarded their arguments entirely and found in favour of... two small schools.

They say we haven’t enough money. Yet the school they want to send our children to has been in the red for four years while we are still – just – in the black. If a large secondary school goes over budget (and they do – pick a name out of the hat ladies and gentlemen), do they close it and ship out all the pupils? No. Of course not. But we’re small and easy to pick on.

They say we can’t provide enough “peer challenge” if we only have one boy in a year. (They’ve never mentioned the problem of only having one girl.) Yet Ofsted, those scary school inspectors that all teachers, yes, every single last one, have nightmares about, Ofsted do not report any educational or social disadvantage from small schools.

They say parents don’t choose our school. Would you, if it had been under threat five times in recent years?

They say our standards aren’t high enough. Yet their own officers have been reporting for years that we’ve been doing a good job.

They say there are plenty of places for all kids in the area at the school they want to send our kids to. They said that in Carlisle four years ago when they closed Belah. They said the population was stable for the next ten years. Yet just four years down the line they are having to spend £12.6 million on creating extra school places – because the population has grown beyond their predictions.

They say the proposed housing developments in the area are irrelevant, may never happen, and may never produce any new pupils for our school. Yet in Penrith and Carlisle developers are under an obligation to build a new school or extend an existing one to cope with new housing.

They say that we “may not” be able to maintain good educational standards. They had the bare-faced effrontery to say that Belah school could “never” improve. How absurd, how stupid, how irresponsible is it to say that something can “never” improve?! Do they have a crystal ball? Do they have access to Dr Who’s Tardis? Can they actually see the future? The arrogance just takes your breath away.

They say we’re too small to be good. Yet 88% of schools with fewer than 28 pupils in Cumbria were judged “Good” or “Outstanding” by Ofsted at their last inspection. (Yes, including us.) And only one school of that size, in the whole country, was causing the inspectors concern last year.

The Emperor Has No Clothes, ladies and gentlemen. Time to read between the lines, because what’s on them doesn’t add up.