Villagers in poll over bid to keep schools

AN action group is to fund a referendum in a bid to save two village schools.

St Tudy and St Mabyn Community Action Group is taking the drastic action after fears that both schools could close and be replaced with a new state-of-the-art school at Longstone – a notorious accident blackspot.

Although Cornwall Council says it is looking into a feasibility study with the support of the Church of England's Diocesan Board, which manages both schools, it says there are no plans to close either primary school.

However, the group says it is taking action now by holding a referendum before it is too late.

The group has spent the past few weeks, under the guidance of the Electoral Reform Society, contacting residents of all 300 properties in the two villages asking whether they would be willing to vote.

Those who agreed will be sent a voting card in the next week asking them to say 'yes' or 'no' to the question: 'Do you agree that both St Mabyn and St Tudy should keep their schools in the respective villages?'

The group's vice-chairman, Chris Mugford, said: "It has not been easy. We were only able to get a copy of the edited electoral register so have been relying on local knowledge and volunteers to contact all residents.

"For an important issue like this we want to be able to give everyone the opportunity to make their views known."

It is believed there are around 900 residents in total and all teachers and school staff will also be polled.

The cost of the referendum, believed be thousands of pounds, is being met by the communities through a number of fund raising events.

All the consent forms had to be returned to both village shops by the weekend.

The group is now awaiting a response from the governing bodies of the schools which have been asked to write why the move would be a positive thing. The group will write against the proposals. All this information will then be sent to the Electoral Reform Society by Friday.

Mr Mugford said: "Due to the postal strike the ballot boxes and forms will be sent to us by courier. Cards will then be posted or hand-delivered and will be returned to the boxes located in both village shops.

"It is expected that the responses will have to be submitted by Friday, November 20, and sent to London.

"They will then be counted by the Electoral Reform Society and an announcement of the results should take place on Monday, November 30.

"We would ask everyone who has agreed to take part in the referendum to please do so and not waste their vote."

In response to the referendum, a Cornwall Council spokesman said: "We appreciate that some parents have been concerned by ill-founded rumours of the potential closure of these two schools, which have been circulating in local communities over the past few weeks.

"However, although consultation has taken place on the federation of the schools, there are no plans to close the schools.

"The two schools are thinking ahead in terms of providing a curriculum for children for the 21st century.

"The schools want to ensure that children have access to the highest quality of teaching and learning, buildings and equipment.

"The council, as part of its primary strategy for change, supports the governors and Diocese and is looking for the potential to provide capital resources to enable the schools to look ahead. There will be community consultation prior to any member consideration.

"The aim of the council is to provide the best possible quality of education for children in the best possible buildings and it would be wrong not to look at every available option to help achieve this aim."

● The next St Tudy and St Mabyn Community Action Group fund raising event will be a book signing by children's author Jill Murphy at St Mabyn village hall at 2pm on Tuesday, November 10.