Behind the headlines

Binegar Primary near Shepton Mallet, Kingsdon Primary near Somerton and Hemington Community Primary near Radstock have each been given twelve months to 'hard federate', which means to join with a nearby school to share one board of governors and one budget.

At an executive board meeting at Somerset County Council on 9 July, councillors also voted to close Blagdon Hill Community School near Taunton.

Its doors will close in August 2009.

The other school with its future currently in doubt is Winsham Community Primary near Chard, which has won a reprieve for now, but will be included in a review of south Somerset's schools next year.

Small Schools Strategy

Parents and governors at all five schools started campaigning after education bosses unveiled their Small Schools Strategy in November 2007.

The county council said falling pupil numbers were a serious problem for rural schools and that any schools with fewer than forty pupils would be 'encouraged to pursue federation'.

Those which don't, face being merged with a nearby school or closed.

'Inventive way'

Headteacher at Hemington, Stephen Heath said he was optimistic the school would find a solution within the next year, even though previous attempts to federate with nearby schools had failed.

He said: "There are other options for us to look at. I think it was clear from the executive board meeting that if we can come up with an inventive way of securing the school's future, that will be looked at favourably by the politicians."

Other schools were less welcoming of the news that a final decision had been delayed by yet another consultation.

'Unnecessary consultation'

Richard Higgins, chairman of the governors of Binegar Primary told BBC Somerset's Big Breakfast: "In one sense we can't complain.

They've given us exactly what we asked for - further time to work on our federation proposals. But in other senses I'm still very angry at the councillors.

For us this has been a costly and unnecessary consultation that's been very badly done. It's wasted five months of our time.

Most of all I'm angry at all the anxiety this unnecessary consultation has caused parents, staff and pupils."

'Done decision'

Speaking before the executive board had voted, John Langdon, the Chairman of the governors of Blagdon Hill school told BBC Somerset he felt the school's fate had been decided long before the consultation ended: "We had one parent who rang up and asked about schools to go to.

They were given Blagdon Hill's name, but the person on the end of the phone told them 'I feel I should warn you that it's likely to close within the next twelve months'.

If the education authority themselves were giving out that information, can they honestly say that it [wasn't] a done decision?"

'Demographic timebomb'

The county council denied that any decisions were taken before the executive board meeting on 9 July 2008.

David Taylor, the officer responsible for Children and Young People at Somerset County Council, said Somerset is suffering a "demographic timebomb" because of falling pupil numbers and that the county must make changes so that its education system will be sustainable for the next twenty years.