Decision Day For St John's

Councillor Mark Reckless MP has welcomed the news that the Office of the Schools Adjudicator has today ruled against the closure of St John's Infants School in Chatham and the amalgamation of Delce Infants and Juniors.

Today's ruling will come as a great relief to all the parents, children and staff who campaigned so hard to keep these small and successful community-based schools.

In November of last year Mark called on the Council to take independent legal advice to clarify whether or not Medway Council was acting lawfully in its plans to close St John's.

Speaking on the ruling Mark said:

"Last year, I was extremely pleased to have helped keep St Peter's Infants School open, and I similarly welcome the decision of the adjudicator with regard to St John's. I was never convinced of the case for closing St John's and voiced my concerns, including with respect to the legality of the process, in Overview and Scrutiny, to full Council, and finally to the Adjudicator.

My congratulations go out to all the parents, children and staff at St John's on running such a spirited campaign. I am also delighted that the two Delce schools will retain their independence and hopefully now go from strength to strength. Let us hope that this is the end of these proposals once and for all."

Decision on St John's Decision - Click Here
Decision on Delce Schools - Click Here

Decision Day For St John's

Statement Regarding St. John's C.E. Infants School

Medway Council's policy framework requires the Council's Cabinet "to shape the future of Medway schools in line with school organisation principles".

Rose Collinson, the Council's education director, assured the Cabinet on 17 September, that one of those school organisation principles was that:

"The number of transition points will be reduced wherever possible within the phases of primary and secondary education. In the primary phase this means creating schools for pupils aged 3-11 and removing transitions for pupils midway through the foundation stage and between separate provisions for Key Stages 1 and 2".

She then used that principle as a basis for advising Cabinet that St. Peter's and St. John's schools should close as they are small infant schools that cannot provide education from 3-11 (ignoring the rather more important points that they achieve significantly better than average results and only had a surplus places issue in respect of a single year's intake).

On Thursday at an Overview and Scrutiny meeting my sustained questioning led Rose Collinson to admit that she had misled Cabinet with that statement. What she claimed was a school organisation principle was not.

The relevant school organisation principle supports only amalgamation of infant and junior schools, not closure of infant schools, or closure of schools that cannot offer nursery education.

Rather than using the school organisation principles to make recommendations to Cabinet on closures, as required by the policy framework, officers relied on something from a different document and told Cabinet that it was one of the school organisation principles when this was not true.

I asked the Council's head legal officer to flag the problem to Cabinet before they decided on closures. She refused to do so.

Overview and Scrutiny have therefore sent the closure of St. John's back to Cabinet to reconsider as the decision was not taken, as required, on the basis of the school organisation principles.

Statement Regarding St. John's C.E. Infants School

We Win! St. Peter's School To Stay Open!

Councillor Mark Reckless has congratulated both Medway Council's Cabinet and the Save St. Peter's campaign after it was decided there was no case for continuing with the planned closure of St. Peter's school.

Both Mark Reckless and Councillor Ted Baker, Mark's colleague in Rochester West ward and former Chair of Governors at the school, have staunchly supported the school during the consultation process.

Mark said:

"Despite accusations of pre-determination over the closure from members of the Labour group, the decision by the Cabinet to keep St. Peter's open is not just a victory for the excellent parent-led campaign, the members of which I congratulate fully. It is a victory for the democratic process and common sense.

"We urged the Cabinet to look at the facts, that the school should remain open and they have listened.

"St. Peter's future is now assured and I look forward to giving my continued support to the pupils, parents and teachers of St. Peter's for many years to come."

We Win! St. Peter's School To Stay Open!

Speech To Council 18th June 2009

Councillor Esterson has made a serious allegation in respect of my integrity, colleagues' integrity and the integrity of Overview and Scrutiny.

He has said the consultation will be 'a sham'. He has provided no evidence to support that claim, so I can only assume that it is because he has already decided.

His position is that we shouldn't consult, all schools are good schools and no school should close.

My position is that Overview and Scrutiny should do what it says.

The Cabinet has put forward a recommendation from officers that needs scrutiny and that is what I am giving it.

I have asked officers questions, which they haven't answered.

I am listening to the teachers, the parents and the pupils.

I voted to consult you, I am listening to you, and then I will make a decision as to what to recommend.

No one will be telling me what to say and I will take that decision in the best interests of my constituents.

Speech To Council 18th June 2009