Published at 16:30, Friday, 07 September 2012

THE community of a village school which survived closure is concentrating on the new school year and the future, not the past.

Captain Shaw’s CE Primary School, in Bootle, successfully fought a closure notice served by Cumbria County Council.

The local authority originally wanted to shut the county’s smallest school on August 31, because of low pupil numbers.

But in April the county’s cabinet members rejected the decision to close the school after a tireless community campaign.

The new term started on Wednesday and Captain Shaw’s now has 17 pupils, with three new reception children who started yesterday.

Chairman of governors James Thomas, said: “We have moved on, we are not thinking about last year.

“Stability is the big aim. We are looking forward to the new school year and really getting on with the job of educating the children, and being a small village school we can offer almost one-to-one tuition.

“Our motto is learning, life and laughter.”

Marilyn Marshall, the acting headteacher, whose team also includes a Stage One teacher and a Stage Two teacher, said: “We are a school which has moved on. We want to celebrate the children. The focus is on stability.”

Claire Miller is the school’s new Key Stage One teacher.

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