Be Brave, Mr. Charles

Dear Mr. Charles,

On 30 October, you will have the future of Combs School, Village Hall and Chapel in your hands, when you are in Cabinet.

To back away from an intended action sometimes requires as much courage as to press on. Please be brave, and lead the Cabinet to a decision to keep the School open.

We realise that you will need to find alternative solutions to the problem of surplus school places in other schools. But you've been presented with a very strong case against closure, and we think you should know by now that closing Combs School is not the right solution.

You've been told about the damage that will be done to our community. You know that the elected bodies at parish or borough level, who intimately understand our area, oppose the proposal to close the School. You know that Combs School is unique in High Peak in providing an outstanding service, in the view of Ofsted, which ranks Combs in the top 3% of infant schools in the country.

So, be brave, Mr. Charles. Acknowledge the inadequacies in the calculations that DCC has made. Show that you've listened to the arguments that have been put forward, and you're prepared to act on them. Use your imagination and the resources of DCC to find an alternative solution to your problem.

Be brave, and stop this closure plan.

Yours,
The 'Save Combs School' Campaigners

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NB: Mr. Charles has been invited to comment on this post.