Parents and pupils protest at planned closure of Parkfield School in Christchurch

Protesting parents and students have staged a demonstration against the planned closure of a Christchurch school.

As reported in the A&T, Parkfield School – near Bournemouth Airport at Hurn – announced last week it would close due to “falling and unsustainable numbers of pupils”.

The free school, which caters for pupils aged 4-16, has been run by Reach South Academy Trust since 2018. Just days before the news was made public, parents and pupils were told that the Department for Education agreed with its recommendation the school should shut. A formal listening period will now run until 12th July, when the Secretary of State for Education will make a final decision.

On Sunday dozens of parents and pupils affected by the closure held a demonstration outside the school site. Pupils held banners and signs which read ‘Save our School’; ‘We love Parkfield’ and ‘Say no to Parkfield closure’.

Former parent and governor Emma O’Callaghan said: “We staged the protest on Sunday and by Monday morning the school had removed all the banners which the children had made. It’s like saying their feelings don’t even matter.

“The news that their school is shutting has been deeply unsettling for many of the children – many of whom have only ever known Parkfield.

“Parkfield is a school that is very suitable for children who don’t do well in larger settings. It has always had a small school nurturing ethos – as a former parent and the former head of the PFA, I would say 75% of the kids will not function in mainstream schools.

“They still don’t know where they will be going to school in September.”

Another parent who joined the protest was Carly Painter, who said her children, pupils in year seven and nine, had attended Parkfield since reception year.

She said: “I have been part of the Parkfield School community for a decade, so news of the closure was absolutely devastating.

“We have been given four weeks’ notice that the school will shut – and for one of my children, who has a very severe airborne nut allergy, finding an alternative secondary school provision is extremely worrying.

“Parkfield School is the right environment for many children who just won’t cope or flourish in mainstream schools, and now the other local schools which are already at capacity will have to find extra places.

“With a few months’ forewarning that the school was going to close, parents would have had time to visit alternative school and make the right choice for their children. That choice has been taken away.”

Following the announcement, BCP Council said pupils in years reception to nine will be offered a place at an alternative school to begin in September.

Under plans, pupils currently on roll in Year 10 will remain at Parkfield to allow them to complete their GCSEs. This means Year 10 children will move into Year 11 in September 2024 and complete the 2024/2025 academic year. The school will officially close to the current Year 10s on 31st August 2025.

A dedicated information page on BCP Council’s website revealed: “We have been working with Reach South Trust, the Department for Education and local school leaders to develop a plan to support the smooth move of children to alternative schools.

“It will ensure a smooth transition for children to other local schools rated as at least ‘Good’ by Ofsted and is within a reasonable travelling distance. We are grateful to our local head teachers who have been incredibly supportive and accommodating.”

Parkfield operates as a free school, which means it is not under local authority control and receives its funding directly from the government. The school initially started in an office block in Bournemouth in 2013, before moving to its current site on the former air traffic control centre at Bournemouth Airport.

A statement from BCP Council said the authority understood it was a “worrying time” for parents and pupils, adding: “We are working with our partners to limit the period of uncertainty. Parents and carers can be reassured to hear that a robust plan is in place to ensure children will receive an offer of an alternative school place in order to provide continuity of education at an Ofsted rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ school.

“At this stage in the formal closure process, the trust has secured a ‘substantive decision’. This is a step which, in line with Department for Education guidance, starts a formal four-week listening period where parents and carers and all stakeholders can comment on the proposal.”