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SOS-What can we do to Save Our Isle of Wight Primary Schools? (0 messages)
admin We ALL need to attend the Public Consultations (see News and Events for details) with questions prepared in advance.
1. We want a 4th option that does not mean closing half of our Primary Schools.
2. What has been said to staff at our schools? Gurnard Primary School staff attended a meeting at their school and yet other staff have been told they are 'not allowed to get involved'.
3. Exactly what will happen to the land adjoining the Primary Schools?
4. The Council Questionnaire, page 2, paragraph 4 talks about 're-enthusing teaching staff.' What does this imply?
5. How many letters and emails have been received at County Hall OPPOSING the closure of Primary Schools.
6. Ask for a show of hands at the meeting, those for and against closing Primary Schools.
Posted on: 11:12 25-01-08

wightpaper's alternative proposal for IW educational reform (0 messages)
grumio
grumio		 The parent's organisation, Wightpaper, which has been opposing the Council's proposals from the outset, has some very well considered and convincing ideas about how we can move forward without losing so many primary schools. If you would like to find out more, please contact Verity Bird at wightpaper@yahoo.co.uk
Posted on: 14:18 20-01-08

Save Our Schools (0 messages)
Karen
Karen		 I agree with deiaSOSsupporter as her opinion is exactly right,and as one of her friends who also attends Ryde High, I also think that the IOW Councils are making an awfully good job at messing up the systems and communities of the IOW. It was alright until these silly londoners,who think they can od everything their way came along and disrrupted everything. Closing all of these schools will just make people move away from the island,and as Deia said,the mainland is craving small schools whereas we on the island are desperately trying not to have big schools built here,as it just doesn't suit the characteristics of everything over here.Children in Primary,Middle and High schools will all be disrupted because of this,no matter what option is chosen (if they get that far with our protests!) for no reason whatsoever except that the council want to do something with their money and think they should wreck everything and start again-they are trying to make the IOW a place that it is not! They should use the money they have already on improving the schools we already have and are happy with! We need to stop this from happening.Now! ..
Posted on: 21:57 17-01-08

Save our Schools - Isle of Wight (18 messages)
admin IW Council have taken the incredible decision to close 23 of our 43 Primary Schools and 1 Middle School. Please look at our 'News and Events' link to find out where the Public Meetings are to be held. We plan to lobby all of these meetings. We plan to set up a bank account to fund a huge campaign to overturn this ludicrous decision. Please keep looking at the website to discover what is happening in your area.
Posted on: 12:39 17-01-08
re: Save our Schools - Isle of Wight
yarmouthprimaryrepresentative
yarmouthprimaryrepresentative		 Well what can I say. This is an absolute disgrace. I would suggest the council end this now. They are going to have such a fight on there hands. Us parents will not be taking this lying down as they had obviously hoped. We are passionate families, we love our children and will not stop until the council decides to stop this right now.
GREED is the fundamental reason for this. What about people.
What about our future generations. What about our communities. What about the children who are going to be taken out of there schools prematurely. The council have not thought this through from beginning to end. This will inevitably end with our children suffering. Thanks very much for going against us, and doing exactly the opposite of what we wanted. You are a bunch of selfish and greedy people who should be ashamed of yourselves. You should hang your heads low in shame.
Posted on: 13:56 17-01-08
re: re: Save our Schools - Isle of Wight
bearsanddiamonds
bearsanddiamonds		 We all have a responsibility as islanders to respect and look out for each other.By that same token,all parents and families of stricken schools will stand along-side each other.Yarmouth and West Wight, all representatives that can be mustered from St Helens will be there for you on Saturday.We all stand united in the face of this travesty against our childrens educational welfare.Ali Hemper.
Posted on: 21:49 17-01-08
re: re: re: Save our Schools - Isle of Wight
yarmouthprimaryrepresentative
yarmouthprimaryrepresentative		 Thanks bearsanddiamonds. You are right we must all stick together on this one and fight fight fight.
Looking forward to meeting you all. Bring your banners etc....
Yarmouth will be there, and Weston too. I will ring wroxall Mum and Ryde Mum tomorrow to see if they will be joining us.
If you have a similar march over your side please let us know.
Lets make sure we rest our voices in time for the 2 saturdays. I think we are going to have a lot to shout about.
x
Posted on: 22:12 17-01-08
re: re: re: re: Save our Schools - Isle of Wight
bearsanddiamonds
bearsanddiamonds		 Mums and dads of St Helens primary were at the Totland/Freshwater rally today.We ALL are in this together!!! It was a pretty good show.I was glad to be there and supporting all of our comrades! Was very impressed with the speaker who claimed that we could ballot our parish council and they would have to respond. All info regarding that on www.sosiow.com. They said there would never be votes for women--How wrong were they!!! Power to the people.Ali Hemper.
Posted on: 21:03 19-01-08
re: re: Save our Schools - Isle of Wight
farnsmum
farnsmum		 The closure of all these schools is madness. My two children will both lose their schools, schools they are happy in, whichever decision is made. IT STOPS NOW! Our children will be in bigger schools in bigger classes, there will be a knock on effect in the local communities. This cannot be allowed to happen. This isn't about the children and what is best for them, it is about money. Our children are what we are about, and I for one will fight this, tooth and nail.
Posted on: 08:48 18-01-08
re: Save our Schools - Isle of Wight
doris PLEASE - All the PTAs join together to lobby all the meetings that are going to be held - local councillors will commit Political suicide if they ignore a MAJORITY vote to keep things the way they are on the Island. If you read this and you are not a PTA member tell them they may not have seen this yet and need to know that there is an active group to lobby this. If we stand together and fight it will have a bigger impact than if we lobby it in small groups.
Posted on: 17:28 17-01-08
re: re: Save our Schools - Isle of Wight
lisalou
lisalou		 I agree. A bigger army is what we need. The people of arreton primary seem very vocal on my facebook site. We should try to join as many PTA's as possible. i WILL POINT THEM IN THE DIRECTION OF THIS SITE.
If any facebook members want to sign the online petition go to http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7926893717
Posted on: 17:38 17-01-08
re: Save our Schools - Isle of Wight
admin This website is run by some parents from St Helens Primary School, Isle of Wight. We are very keen to hear from ALL 'Save Our Schools' groups or PTAs on the Island. We would like to join forces in order to support each other and to lobby the Public Meetings.

* DON'T BE SHY, PLEASE LET US KNOW YOUR IDEAS/PLANS/MARCHES/PROTESTS ETC. SO THAT WE CAN SPREAD THE WORD* EMAIL THE WEBSITE OR TELEPHONE US ON 01983 873110 "

We have already heard of parents moving their children OUT of the schools under threat! Please write to IW Council and let them know that you will not vote for them at the next election.
Posted on: 19:31 17-01-08
re: Save our Schools - Isle of Wight
deiaSOSsupporter
deiaSOSsupporter		 I am highly concerned for the Isle Of Wight's Conservative Council decision on the primary schools. I feel that this is absurd and should never have even been suggested! The roles of the smaller primary and middle schools on the island are highly important and make significant effects to a child’s growing up. Many children living on the Isle of Wight live in very small communities, the type where everybody knows everybody, to throw them into a large primary school filled with hundreds of other children is ridiculous! They are used to being around small numbers, and to put them with very large numbers would stunt their confidence levels, making a very negative effect on their futures. As a child I was always shy and would hide all my potential when in large groups, as is my 5 year old sister. At St. Helens primary school, the members of staff would listen to you and help you get your confidence levels up, you weren’t intimidated so that you wouldn’t work but you were encouraged to show all your potential and try you’re hardest.
Large primary schools don’t have the time to help the shy and scared children into working and achieving. Also, the level that the teacher can communicate and teach is higher as there are fewer children there. On the mainland small classes are what they’re craving for, we have the environments to have a hard working community but our Conservative Council seeks to put all our children in huge classes, making communication almost impossible and improving individual children’s education impossible. I do not know a single child that has left St. Helens primary illiterate either, they begin learning to read and write when they start and by the time they reach middle school are capable and work well. My younger sisters, age 5 and 6, can read strongly and with confidence.
Currently I am 15 years old and am attending Ryde High School. I am predicted A grades in my G.C.S.E s, something I would never have managed without the help of St. Helens primary school. The environment there gives you the space to be creative, use your talents and be inspired. Upon reaching middle school you know your strong points and are able to work to them effectively. I feel, with all of my heart, that closing down these schools would cause a huge dent in the Isle of Wight community and achievement here would fall, with less and less children able to work or have the will power to work.
Also, IT WONT MAKE ANYTHING BETTER THAN IT ALREADY IS! New buildings aren't going to make the system better. Closing all the good schools is going to make it worse so WHY, WHY!? are they CLOSING THEM DOWN!
Changing the primary schools is absurd and pointless! It only destroys the islands village.
I hope that our Conservative Council will see sense and rectify this awful mistake before destroying the futures of many future generations to come.
Posted on: 21:25 17-01-08
re: Save our Schools - Isle of Wight
deiaSOSsupporter
deiaSOSsupporter		 A stand has been made in Edinburgh! they held a lobby towards THEIR council!! They were going to close 22 schools and theyre winning! They have made enough of a sink to make a change! This is not in vain!!
LETS MAKE SOME NOISE!!!!
Posted on: 21:51 17-01-08
re: Save our Schools - Isle of Wight
saveiowschools
saveiowschools		 Hello,

I have created a website for people to keep everyone on the island updated on the latest announcements / events and would like people to please contact me with events that they are arranging so that I can post it on the site.

www.saveiowschools.co.uk

There will also soon be a section where people can leave feedback on the council's plans.

Many thanks,
Andrew
www.saveiowschools.co.uk
Posted on: 00:39 18-01-08
re: Save our Schools - Isle of Wight
grumio
grumio		 Am writing as someone who has been opposing this council's ludicrous antics for nearly a year - particularly on the issue of retaining year 9 in middle schools (current option 1). Cannot understand why they are seeking to close so many primaries (under all options) but these people are very sneaky and there could well be a hidden agenda (for instance, getting their own way -ie option 1. There is an on-line petition calling for a true consultation and people should sign and ask for some more palatable options to be put on the table. The site is;gopetition.com/petitions/true-consultation-for-isle-of-wight-educational-reforms. I know that the main concern of those on this site is the closure of primaries but I urge you to also consider what will happen to your children at age 11. Option 1 must be avoided at all costs. Children simply cannot stay in middle school until the age of 14 and begin their GCSE courses in a new school- this is educational suicide!! Not only will this guarantee that your children will fail their GCSEs but will ensure they do so in a massive and impersonal 'learning centre' where they will be bussed between sites. Please, please therefore, fight for the primaries but do not forget that your children will be 11 before you know it. It will be too late then to act so please consider the wider picture now alongside the primary agenda.
Posted on: 19:23 18-01-08
re: Save our Schools - Isle of Wight
lisalou
lisalou		 http://www.sosiow.com/poster-download/ You can download free posters etc... from this site. A visible protest all over the island would make councillors realise just how strongly everyone feels about this. Hand them out to neighbours, stick them in your etc...
Lisa
Posted on: 10:05 21-01-08
SIGNS/BANNERS etc
admin I have spoken to THE SIGN MAN, Chris from Bembridge, he has agreed to make a 10Ft by 3Ft banner for us for £89.50. He makes signs and banners of all sizes, even magnetic ones for cars and vans so give him a call on 875688 and support an Island business.
Posted on: 12:22 21-01-08
re: Save our Schools - St Helens Meeting
admin Just to let other groups know, we had a fantastic turnout at the St Helens meeting this evening. We collected £115 for the cause which we will use for banners, advertising and whatever else. Many thanks to local businessman Dave Cummings (D.C.E. Electrical) who offered to pay for two banners.
Posted on: 21:43 21-01-08
Contact your Councillor
admin Please remember to email your IW Councillors expressing your disgust at the decision to close our Primary Schools. IW Council Leader, David Pugh can be contacted at david.pugh@iow.gov.co.uk, copy your email to all members at iow.gov.co.uk.
Posted on: 10:08 23-01-08
re: Contact your Councillor
farnsmum
farnsmum		 I have repeatedly tried to send an email to David Pugh at david.pugh@iow.gov.co.uk, and it keeps being returned to me as unable to send. Convenient isn't it. No wonder he is stating that he's not receiving many emails! I shall off course keep trying.
Posted on: 16:21 23-01-08
IW Council Press Release
admin http://ventnorblog.com/council-keen-to-state-facts-during-education-consultation/
This is the latest Press Release from Isle of Wight Council.
Posted on: 18:06 23-01-08

Free State (1 messages)
tricky
tricky		 Lets make the IOW a free state, without interference from the bigwigs in London.

The IOW is the same size as singapore, makes you think eh?
Posted on: 14:38 15-11-07

Plastic Bag Campaigns (1 messages)
admin Should there be a ban on shops giving out plastic bags or is it more important that retailers reduce the amount of packaging used?
Posted on: 17:07 22-10-07
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