School with 17 pupils to close

A school that had just 17 pupils will not reopen in the new academic year.

Rapidly declining student numbers means Cantley Primary has been closed by Norfolk County Council and merged with Freethorpe Primary, which is also run by AIM Federation of Schools.

The authority warned falling birth rates both locally and nationally could see more schools affected as funding was linked to student numbers.

"We have to put the children's education first and we just can't see how Cantley can continue to provide a good education with so few children," said Penny Carpenter, councillor for children's services.

"Next year there would have been just one class for children from year 1 to year 6 and that would make delivering a broad curriculum almost impossible."

The authority added that the majority of students at Cantley had come from outside the catchment area and there were surplus places at several nearby schools.

When a consultation on the merger began in May, parents argued they were not being given enough time and the trust had not promoted the school enough.

On 11 July, the council discussed school sustainability amid falling numbers at its children, families and community select committee.

Following that, the local authority said it would work with groups of schools to help them prepare "for a future with fewer children".

It was suggested schools could reduce admission numbers, change their catchment area, share resources, merge or face closure.

David Hopkins, executive head teacher at the AIM Federation of Schools, said: "Our priority as a federation is to ensure that all of our children get the very best education.

"Unfortunately, we just don't feel we can deliver a broad enough curriculum with the numbers as they are at Cantley.

"Freethorpe is a good school and we will spend the last days of term preparing children for their transition and marking the end of an era at Cantley, which has been a much-loved school for so many.

"This is a sad decision but we believe that amalgamation will give us a stronger, more resilient school community and is in the children's best interests."