Parents at Prudhoe Castle First School have successfully rallied against a proposed merger with another local school, demonstrating strong community resistance and teamwork. Along with other concerned parents, Stacey Martin, a parent at Prudhoe Castle First School, has been taking action. She calls for clear guidance on how the merger plans proposed by Cheviot Learning Trust would be decided.
Martin expressed frustration over the lack of clear communication from the trust, stating, “We just threw all these questions at them and they didn’t seem to have any answers.” As it turned out, thousands of other parents echoed her worries. Many were caught off guard by the proposal, which was attributed to declining birth rates and increasing deficits facing the trust.
In a bid to gather more information, Martin utilized the Freedom of Information Act to request details about the merger plans. Yet, she has not yet gotten detailed answers to her questions. Even with these difficulties Martin said what made the difference was the effective organization and collaboration of the parents who came together to stop the merger. “I think that they were unprepared for so much resistance and for so much pressure for information because we were challenging everything they were saying,” she said.
This is the result of the community’s long-fought effort. Alice Witherow, spokesperson for Cheviot Learning Trust, acknowledged how important listening to parents had been in making the decision to halt the merger consultation. “We listened carefully to the views and the feelings expressed. That feedback was an important factor in our decision to close the consultation and not take the proposals forward,” Witherow stated.
As conversations continued, Martin said parents wanted to work with the trust in the future. “I think it’s about asking the right questions, finding the right information and it’s a lot of working together,” she remarked. This collaborative spirit is emblematic of parents’ hope to fix things out in the open, while protecting the continuity and stability of their kids’ education.
Throughout the merger review process, the trust portrayed the proposed merger as an indispensable rescue mission due to the health system’s fiscal challenges. Martin was not alone in speaking out on the seriousness of these issues. “At the end of the day if this deficit is there and it’s at such a level that they’re saying – that’s an issue that’s not going to go away,” she explained.
The impact sheds light on larger issues that all schools everywhere in Northumberland are facing with declining birth rates and increasing budgetary pressures. Witherow noted that balancing pupil numbers with a falling birth rate remains a challenge that requires attention at both local and national levels.
