PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
CLOSURE OF ROOKWOOD SCHOOL (16 June 1997)

That this House regrets the decision to dismiss the appeal against the closure of Rookwood School in Eastleigh, Hampshire; notes that as a result, former Rookwood pupils will be forced to leave a purpose built school only 16 years old, with an excellent record, and move to an over subscribed Victorian school where they would be taught in temporary classrooms, while the local education authority disposes of the Rookwood site for speculative housing development; further notes that in the lengthy period that has elapsed since the local education authority first proposed closure of Rookwood, more families have moved into the school's catchment area and that as a result Rookwood pre-school group is now over subscribed; in keeping with the Government's policy of reducing class sizes for infants to 30 or less, calls upon the Minister for Schools to stay the Rookwood School closure order to allow sufficient time to confirm that rising pupil numbers reinforce the viability of the school; and further calls upon the Minister to give particular consideration to small schools with high standards but low pupil numbers.

Sponsored by:
Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat)