Church worried over future of its rural schools
by Dave Speck, tes:
Church of England admits schools might be better placed near towns but says they shouldn’t be run ‘on logic of supermarkets’’
The Church of England will hold a summit this week to brainstorm ways of keeping open its rural schools.
Many of its 2,000 rural schools – some with less than 200 pupils – are battling to stay open, and are often the last survivor in a village that has already lost its post office, general shop and pub, it is claimed.
The church’s chief education officer Nigel Genders, writing today in the Sunday Times, says: “While it is true that the cost of educating a child might be higher in a rural area, we also understand the value to children of receiving their education in this setting, and of rural schools as rich expressions of their community.”
Mr Genders said many school were built in the 19th century to provide free education for “the poorest in society.”
He said: “If we were starting our schools network from scratch, a town planner might say that we would best be served by fewer, larger schools, situated outside large towns. On the same basis as out-of-town supermarkets, they would be seemingly more efficient, trading increased travel for lower costs.
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