We Saved Combs School!

Number 10 Respondsto Online Petition

2008-08-13T12:11:00.010+01:00

With the characteristic rapidity of national government, Number 10 has today responded to the online petition that ran during the campaign, and which had fulfilled its purpose last October.

"Derbyshire local authority is responsible in law for the organisation of school places in its area and Ministers have no role in the process. However the Government is firmly committed to rural schools, because we recognise that they are an important part of the rural landscape and an important factor in keeping rural communities alive. That is why, to protect rural schools, the Government introduced a presumption against their closure ten years ago. That does not mean that no rural school can ever close, but our statutory guidance makes clear that the case for closure needs to be strong and in the best interests of educational provision in the area.

In making decisions about rural school closures local authorities must have regard to the presumption and must take account of other factors such as transport availability and cost, alternatives to closure and the impact on the local community. We expect authorities to also take account of school performance, as it is our policy that they support popular and successful schools.

On 30 October 2007, in considering the proposals to close Combs Infant School, Derbyshire local authority took account of our guidance, specifically the need to justify rural school closures on the grounds of raising standards, and decided not to proceed with the closure.

We hope the local authority’s decision addresses your concerns and reassures you that we have put in place mechanisms to protect the future of small rural primary schools*.

The Prime Minister sends his best wishes for the future of Combs Infant School."

* Editor's emphasis.

Read the response on the Number 10 web site. The link to the relevant report is here.

A Year Ago Today

2008-05-09T21:28:00.009+01:00

A lot can happen in a year. If Derbyshire County Council had got their way, our youngest daughter would have been in her last term at the village school, the place would have been running down in front of our eyes, then dismantled and lost for ever. A piece of history and a slice of excellence in a mediocre world would have been thrown to the four winds with barely a backward glance from the perpetrators of the crime.

But we fought the good fight and we won. This is something to celebrate in a society increasingly crushed by senseless rules and petty bureaucracy, by small-minded people with limited vision and an eye to the main chance and self-aggrandissment. Instead of painfully counting the days till the end of the summer term and the end of an era, facing farewells that should never be and tears that needn’t have been cried, I was able to leave my five year old daughter in the playground this morning happily attempting to jump her spindly little legs over a rope in a brave attempt to learn the art of skipping. The air was soft and warm, the birds were singing, the children were laughing and the cress was bursting through the soil of the grow-bags which they had busily and messily planted last Friday afternoon.

Instead of a sense of heartache and loss, we are able to continue with a sense of well-being, growth and optimism for the future: these children are being given the very best of starts in a beautiful, healthy, sane environment.

I can assure you that the seedlings that come out of this particular grow-bag are strong and vigourous and will grow into beautiful mature plants. They have been given the best of starts in life and they will flourish. These young people are our future and if every child could be given the educational start in life that these children receive, then our world would be a much better place.

Coincidentally on the lunchtime news a youth worker and reformed gang member who was commenting on the brutal knife murder of 16 year old Kodjo Yenga in Hammersmith last year said the problems we are facing with this aggressive youth culture is all down to education. He said that he (as a gang member) was a product of this failure in education. If he can see it, why on earth can’t the people in charge? Why does this government (and others before it) continue to mess up our education system, swamping it with mindless health and safety rules, absurd levels of administration which take away from teaching time and, perhaps most significantly, insisting, in the vein of globalisation, that big is beautiful and that one size fits all? When will they learn that ultimately it is more economical to produce well-educated, well-rounded young people from smaller places of learning than to produce ill-educated dysfunctional people from large anonymous institutions where each child is barely no more than a statistic? This is not rocket science. This is just common sense.

Instead of taking money away from village schools, they should be investing in them. They are the heart of a community, they instill community spirit and a sense of belonging and society to the children whom they educate. It is not just about results and league tables. It is about appreciating what it is to be part of a family, it is about developing self-respect and self-confidence, and understanding what can be achieved by team effort and a positive, optimistic approach to life and learning.

The achievement of our small community in fighting the big boys and beating them at their own game is surely proof enough that small can be beautiful too. We pulled together, we worked as a team, we never gave up and we came out smiling. It can be done.

Labour should value village school benefits

2008-01-29T09:00:00.000Z

Where was the leader-writer of the Daily Telegraph during our campaign?

This editorial is from today's edition.

How hollow the promise now rings. Fresh into power, Labour's then schools minister, Stephen Byers, pledged in 1998 to give "tough new protection for village schools" to end the "wholesale" closure process that had seen 450 of them shut their doors over the previous decade and a half.

"Closing a village school can be a death-blow to the community," Mr Byers observed. He was absolutely right; regrettably, his promise is now unravelling. Weekend reports of a new purge of village schools on economic grounds suggest that up to 300 are already being targeted for closure and the total could reach 1,000.

This is the unthinking politics of the bean-counter in action. In strictly economic terms, small village schools will never be as cost-effective as larger schools in towns or cities. But their value to a local community cannot be measured solely on a balance sheet.

It is not just that small schools, by and large, are better schools - one day, policy-makers will accept that the failings of many schools are related more than anything else to their sheer size. It is because the local school is the beating heart of a village and if it closes, the community suffers, as Mr Byers wisely noted.

A place that no longer educates its young is sending out a signal that it may not have much of a future. Educating children away from their community will slowly but surely undermine it. As for "joined-up government", how does busing or driving children miles to be educated fit in with the Government's environmental commitments?

Sadly, this casual neglect of rural Britain is symptomatic of a government that sees no votes in the countryside and therefore treats it with something approaching disdain. This attitude was detectable in the plans to close rural post offices, which were scaled down under intense pressure, not least from this newspaper, but will still be pushed through in many areas.

Rural Britain has no clout at the Cabinet table and the result has been the accentuation of the rural/urban split to a dangerous degree - witness the ludicrous amount of parliamentary time devoted to the foxhunting ban.

There is an opportunity here for the Conservative Party, whose exploration of the politics of the "post-bureaucratic" age points towards greater self-reliance and local solutions. This promises to be the key ideological battleground at the next election. Among other things, it should mean that the fate of a village school is decided by the community and not by the pen-stroke of some distant bureaucrat.

Also, in The Observer, 27 January 2008:
Hundreds of village schools face axe and
This will rip the heart out of our community.

DCC Announces Decision

2007-11-01T18:00:00.000Z

This press release was issued on 31 October by DCC. See below for some observations.

COMBS INFANT SCHOOL TO STAY OPEN

An infant school threatened with closure is to stay open, Derbyshire County Council’s cabinet has decided.

Members of the cabinet followed a recommendation by education officers to keep Combs Infant School in Chapel-en-le-Frith open. [NOTE 1]

Before a council can take a decision to close a rural school it has be satisfied – under the terms of the 2006 Education Act – that pupils would receive a better standard of education if they were moved to alternative schools.

Councillors were told that although the nearest alternative school, Chapel-en-le-Frith Primary School, provides a good quality education standards at Combs Infant School are currently higher.

The cabinet decided against closing Combs Infant School but to keep the problem of surplus places in the Chapel-en-le-Frith area under review.

Councillor Alan Charles, cabinet member for schools, said: “Currently there are only seven pupils from the catchment area [NOTE 2] of Combs that attend the school.

“In theory there could be no pupils from the catchment area but we would still have to keep the school open if we cannot show that educational standards would be improved by moving pupils to an alternative school.

“Keeping the school open means we are providing a costly and privileged education for children not directly from the Combs community [NOTE 3]. This is at the expense of tax payers and every other child attending a Derbyshire school.”

The cost of educating each pupil at Combs Infant School is £5,447 [NOTE 4], compared to £2,635 at other infant schools [NOTE 5] in the county.

The decision followed an informal public consultation during which there were 180 letters and a petition with 1,687 signatures [NOTE 6] opposing the proposals to close Combs Infant School.

There were also concerns expressed about the impact that closing the school would have on community groups, who use the same building.

(Ref: JF.375.07) Media enquiries to John Fern on 01629 585234 or email john.fern@derbyshire.gov.uk
[NOTE 7]

OK, ready for the explanation? Go and grab a cup of tea, because the explanation is almost as long as the original press release.

Note 1:	That's a subtle one, isn't it? Quite easy to miss on first reading. Combs is not 'in Chapel-en-le-Frith', although if it was it could make sense for all the kids to go to Chapel-en-le-Frith school, couldn't it? Combs is 'in Chapel-en-le-Frith' like St. Albans is 'in London'.
Note 2:	DCC told us that there was no such thing as a 'catchment area' any more. So why is Alan Charles referring to it now, how is it defined, and what effect is it supposed to have legally?
Note 3:	Similarly, how is 'not directly from the Combs community' defined?
Note 4:	That's a budget number, not the actual cost, which is lower. Budgets were most recently discussed here.
Note 5:	The £2635 is an average for primary schools, not infant schools as stated here.
Note 6:	They're still getting the petition numbers wrong. There were 2141 signatures - that's about three times the population of our small village of Combs. They're out by about 20%. Not enough to matter? The amount they're wrong by is about two-thirds the population of Combs. What else do you think they'll have got wrong?
Note 7:	Just in case you think that these press releases could be misleading by accident, this is what DCC's press officer told us: "All press releases are approved by the senior officers involved in the particular issue concerned and by the relevant cabinet member. If there are legal issues involved they are also checked by one of our lawyers."

School Closure Plan Was Vandalism

2007-11-01T09:18:00.000Z

This letter appeared in today's Buxton Advertiser. It comes from Barrie Taylor, County Councillor for Whaley Bridge & Blackbrook. He is the Liberal Democrat Group Leader on the Council.

The County's grudging agreement not to close Combs Infant School is a huge relief to the local community, and a great credit to all those who have campaigned so hard and so effectively to keep the school open.

However, joy at the decision is tempered by annoyance that the closure procedure was ever started, and that it was allowed to go on for so long.

The final report to Cabinet recommended that the school should survive, but hardly referred to all the compelling evidence provided by the school governors and the local campaigners. The decision was based entirely on the fact that closure of the only "Outstanding" school in the area, as declared by Ofsted inspectors, could not improve local standards of education. That was glaringly obvious from the outset.

It soon became apparent that none of the other criteria that are set by the Government for the closure of rural schools were met, as the school is also the village hall, and there would be no benefit to other schools that are experiencing falling school rolls.

At the original public meeting I asked for the closure process to be stopped straight away, as the evidence was already so conclusive.

Councillor Alan Charles, Cabinet member for schools, continued to insist that the process had to grind on to the end, despite clear government guidance that it could be stopped at any time. He subsequently accused me of making a "grandstanding speech to get a cheap round of applause".

In the attempt to justify the original proposal to close the school the Council continue to quote inflated figures of the cost per pupil at Combs, despite the Ofsted report stating that it gives "outstanding value for money".

Pupils at Combs are very lucky to be able to attend such an excellent school in lovely surroundings, and it would be wonderful if all infants in the County could have the same experience.

However to propose closing Combs school because this is not possible is the politics of envy.

At the outset I said that to close this centre of excellence at Combs, without any benefit elsewhere, would be an act of vandalism.

The report to Cabinet of the County's education officers comes to the same conclusion, in more diplomatic language.

Peak School Wins the Battle, but Fears a War

2007-11-01T08:41:00.000Z

Report from today's Buxton Advertiser.

"IT IS a battle won, but not the war," was the reaction from one delighted parent this week after Combs Infants School was saved from closure.

Members of Derbyshire County Council's Cabinet agreed with an officer's recommendation to keep the school open when they met on Tuesday.

Campaigners, who have spent the last six months fighting the plans, were delighted with the decision, but feel there is still more work to be done.

Parent Carah Boden said: "It is a battle won, but not the war. We need to try and stabilise the situation. Now all this is behind us, we need to ensure its ongoing future."

Chair of governors Nye Rowlands added: "We need to move on from this decision, and work with Derbyshire Council to remedy the damage that has been done by their threat to close the school.

"The cabinet said that if you put a lot of money into a school, it is going to be excellent but if you look around Derbyshire, Cheshire or the rest of the country, putting a lot of money into schools does not bring excellence. Being in the top ten per cent of schools in the country, Combs Infant School didn't achieve that through money. It achieved it through the standards of the teachers.

"We have now got to generate an even closer relationship with the community who are very much part of the school. They have stood by us and supported us and the parents have stood by us.

"This has proved a cause which everybody can unite behind."

High Peak Borough councillor Andrew Bingham has supported the campaign group for several months. He said: "There is still a war to be fought and I feel sure that the council will probably revisit the matter again given half a chance.

"When that will be I don't know.

"I'd like to pay tribute to the campaign group for everything they did. Education committe chairman Alan Charles mentioned it had been a well constructed and polite campaign and that is a tribute to the people who have organised it."

Derbyshire County Councillor Barrie Taylor, who represents the Whaley and Blackbrook ward, which covers Combs, added: "I'd like to thank everybody who ran the most impressive campaign in support of the school, which has brought all the community together."

The campaign group are holding a celebration at the school on November 9 to thank everyone who has been involved in the fight.

Let's Tidy Up After Ourselves

2007-10-31T06:00:00.000Z

If you find a 'Save Combs School' sign on the verge, or tacked to a lamp post or gate, please remove and dispose of it.

Don't leave it for someone else to do!

Tune In To Andrew Bingham

2007-10-30T16:10:00.000Z

Andrew Bingham, Conservative Parliamentary candidate for High Peak, will be interviewed by High Peak Radio on Thursday.

Is there anything you'd like to ask him in connection with the Save Combs School campaign? Leave your questions in the comments, and we'll pass them along to the station and ask them to try to fit them in to the interview.

The station is on 103.3 and 106.4 FM.

Second Stage of Campaign Begins

2007-10-30T15:00:00.000Z

We issued the following press release at 15:00 today.

SUPPORTERS LAUNCH SECOND STAGE OF SCHOOL CAMPAIGN

Combs, Derbyshire: At a meeting held in Matlock today, Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet voted to accept a recommendation from education officers to keep Combs Infant School open.

The school had been threatened with closure by the Council as part of their search for a solution to their problem of surplus places in other High Peak schools. Derbyshire County Council decided that closing Combs Infant School would not improve educational standards in the area, and would therefore cause them to fail in their statutory duty.

Following the meeting, the ‘Save Combs School’ campaigners announced that their campaign would immediately move into a second stage, which aims to provide long term stability for the school.

Decision Welcomed
Head Teacher, Avis Curry, welcomed the news: “This is such a relief. Everyone connected with the school and campaign has felt under a great strain for months.”

Under Mrs. Curry’s leadership, the school achieved an ‘outstanding’ rating in every category examined by Ofsted in September 2006. The school will now be able to continue to provide up to 26 places for Key Stage 1 pupils.

Combs resident Diane Williamson said: “I was driving when I heard the news of the Council’s positive decision, with tears streaming down my face. We can now make sure that our two-year old daughter will get the best possible start to her education.”

“The decision by Derbyshire County Council is very welcome,” said parent governor Nick Boden, “but it’s regrettable that their decision focused only on the educational merits of the school, and didn’t mention other important elements of the case we put to them, such as the value of a small rural school strongly linked to the community surrounding it. We will continue to explain these points to them.”

Second Stage
The campaigners announced today that the second stage of their campaign has begun. Chair of Governors, Nye Rowlands, said: “The decision today by Derbyshire County Council is only the conclusion of the first stage. The school simply can’t operate successfully if it’s constantly under imminent threat of being re-proposed for closure.”

Nye Rowlands explained: “We need to move on from this decision, and work with Derbyshire Council to remedy the damage that has been done by their threat to close the school. We will assist them in putting in place the support for the school that will help it regain stability. We want parents to have full confidence that the school is now there for their children to attend in the coming years.”

Community Involvement
Combs School rents their use of schoolrooms in a building that began life as a Wesleyan Chapel in the nineteenth century. The building also serves as the Village Hall, which is the only community resource for Combs.

The building is managed and maintained by the Combs Village Hall Trust. Chair of the Trustees, Mike Evanson, commented: “Following the Council’s decision, we want to move on with exciting new environmental projects that will extend the use of the Village Hall. One good result of this campaign is that it has emphasised the wealth of diverse talent we have in the Combs area. A strong sense of community has been evident throughout this campaign, and people are saying ‘OK, what’s next?’”

Celebrating Success
“First things first, though.” said Nye Rowlands, “We need to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who has played a part in bringing the first stage of this campaign to a successful conclusion, and there will be a celebration at 7pm on 9th November at Combs School and Village Hall for everyone who has wanted to see this outcome.”

Full details of the planned celebration will be posted on the campaign’s web site, at save-combs-school.org.uk

Download a copy of the press release (56Kb Adobe Acrobat PDF format).

A Big Thank You

2007-10-30T11:45:00.000Z

We'd like to say a sincere 'thank you' to:

All the people who signed the petitions, including the people of Chapel-en-le-Frith and Whaley Bridge, and the visitors to our village.

All the people who put up posters (and then took them down again in July, to keep the place tidy).

All the people who wrote letters to DCC.

The politicians who looked at the evidence and spoke up in support of the campaign. (High Peak Borough Council and its staff; Chapel-en-le-Frith Parish Council and its staff; Whaley Bridge Town Council; Barrie Taylor; Andrew Bingham; Tracy Critchlow; Tony Bingham and Steve Sharp).

Plain Talk Print in Glossop, who printed leaflets for us, and Staley's Dailies in Chapel-en-le-Frith, who helped to distribute them for us, both at no cost.

The governors and staff at nearby schools (Taxal & Fernilee; Kettlehulme; Chinley)

The people from the Plain English Campaign in Combs, who produced T-shirts, balloons and the DVD which gave people a real sense of what life in our valley is like.

The other organisations who backed us. (Peak District National Park Authority; Derbyshire Rural Community Council; and the Methodist Church)

Tom Levitt MP, who came to the school, and then asked questions of DCC.

The staff at DCC (in particular, Dee Hill and Dave Molyneux), who were very helpful in answering our many questions.

Prof. Chris Woodhead (former Chief Inspector of Schools, now University of Buckingham) for advice on the subject of educational standards.

The print and broadcast media who helped to keep the campaign visible. (Louise Bellicoso and everyone at Buxton Advertiser; Glossop Chronicle; High Peak Radio; Dave Guest at BBC North West; David Andrew at Primary Review; Derbyshire Times; Nicola Winship at Best of Buxton)

And perhaps most of all ... thanks to those who thought we could and should win, and never faltered in that opinion.

How The Decision Was Made

2007-10-30T11:35:00.000Z

In the Cabinet meeting at County Hall today, Councillor Alan Charles opened his remarks about Combs School with, “I find myself in the unusual position of presenting a recommendation that I do not agree with, which is for Combs School not to be closed.”

In acknowledging that there had been a lot of opposition to the proposed closure, he complimented the campaigners (of which there were over 20 present) on their polite and courteous conduct of the campaign.

He referred to the Education Act 2005 (although that Education Act has been superseded by the Education Act 2006), saying that the school couldn't be closed because it could not be shown that doing so would improve educational standards in the area. Of course, we pointed that out to him when this process began: everything that has followed need not have happened.

Alan Charles maintained that the Act was “intended to protect small rural schools, not small schools for rural communities” and that, “even if the school roll was to fall to zero, the school still couldn’t be closed”. He’s completely wrong on the last point, and goodness only knows what he means by the first bit. We'll have to ask.

With regard to the quality of education at Combs School, he gave a nod to the work of Mrs. Curry and her staff. “Of course,” he said, “with double the funding that other schools get, I would not expect anything other than an outstanding education. You would rightly expect that of any school.”

Why does he continue with that argument? He’s been shown that it doesn’t cost “twice the average” to teach a pupil at Combs, and that there isn’t a clear correlation between money spent and the outcome for pupils. It’s only a few months since he tried to close a school that had a worse performance but a higher per-pupil cost – he must have forgotten that case.

Alan Charles made reference to having got hold of some numbers “ten minutes ago”, which showed that Combs School is “only serving seven children in the village”, and tried to depict it as a small school that, “if it relied on its catchment area, would not have enough pupils”.

We have no idea how he’s defining ‘village’ in that statement, or where his numbers come from. We gave him plenty of well-researched, detailed and accurate numbers. None of them agree with his presentation of the situation.

Two weeks ago, in closing another school, he maintained that there was no such thing as a catchment area, so his reversal of logic is baffling. As we’ve explained before, even the Council can’t explain how the ‘Normal Area’ for Combs is defined, and it bears no relation to the ‘Natural Area’ from which pupils come to the school. He doesn’t seem to understand that it’s in the nature of a rural area for people to be scattered about a bit. We’ve shown him that there is high demand for places at the school now and in the future. And of course, parental choice, a policy supported by the council, allows parents to request that their children go to schools that aren’t on their doorstep.

In closing, Alan Charles said, “I believe it was right for the Authority to propose the closure of Combs School, and it was right that we consulted as we have done. Very reluctantly, I move that the recommendation be accepted.”

The chairman asked for questions and comments. There were none.

The recommendation was put to a vote. A few of the councillors raised their hands an inch or two above the table, the chairman mumbled something, and the decision was made.

So, a conclusion to this completely unnecessary process has been reached. Now it’s time to get on with more positive things, as noted in the press release issued today.

UPDATE: 12 NOVEMBER

Read DCC's version of the meeting: download the meeting minutes.

This formal recording of the decision fails to convey the bad tempered and incoherent way in which the recommendation was presented.

This is the relevant excerpt.

505/07 COMBS INFANT SCHOOL – PETITION

A petition of 1,687 signatures had been submitted to the Authority, opposing the proposed closure of Combs Infant School.

RESOLVED to receive the petition opposing the proposed closure of
the Combs Infant School, as part of the consultation process.

506/07 PROPOSED CLOSURE OF COMBS INFANT SCHOOL

In outlining the background leading to the proposal of the closure of the Combs Infant School, the Strategic Director for Children and Younger Adults outlined the process undertaken for consultation, and in particular the procedures for closing a maintained school, bearing in mind not only the criteria for education and sufficient school places in the area but also the need to preserve access to the local school for rural communities. Whilst this did not preclude the closure of rural schools, it did mean that the case for closure should be strong, with proposals clearly in the best interest of educational provision in the area.

Issues raised during the consultation process included:-
standards of education;
effect on the village hall and community;
budgetary and financial considerations;
normal area and natural area;
parental choice;
consideration of alternatives to closures;
increased housing in the Chapel area;
portrayal of village;
surplus places issue;
school as provider of local employment;
ethos of school in balance against costs.
Arguably the single most important issue was that of standards and whilst the removal of surplus places supported the core agenda of raising standards, it was acknowledged that Combs Infant School provided a high quality of education, which many parents argued was the most significant for the future development of the child. Standards of education at Chapel-en-le-Frith C of E. Primary were deemed satisfactory by OfSTED, although there was the perception that because of its size, the quality of education was not as good at that provided by Combs Infant School. Some detail was given of the development of Chapel-en-le-Frith C of E. Primary where the quality and provision were improving.

Specific reference was made in the statutory guidance to the issue of standards and the need to ensure that the proposal for a school closure would lead to improved attainment for children and young people.

In accord with current legislation and the overriding concern that any proposal for closure has to be in the cause of raising standards of education, it was felt that the Authority should not proceed with the proposal to close Combs Infant School at this time, but the situation would be kept under review.

RESOLVED

(1) that the Authority does not proceed to the publication of Statutory Notices in respect of the proposed closure of Combs Infant School with effect from August 2008; and

(2) that situation regarding surplus places in this area of the County be kept under review.

Final Decision:Combs Infant School is Saved!

2007-10-30T11:30:00.000Z

A large group of campaigners attended the DCC Cabinet meeting in Matlock today.

The report on the school was presented by Alan Charles, and the Cabinet voted to accept the recommendation that Combs Infant School should not be closed.

“And that’s just not fair, is it, children?”

2007-10-27T06:03:00.000+01:00

Cast your mind back to when this ghastly closure business started. DCC pointed out that Combs School spends more money per pupil than other schools. Of course, that wasn’t a comparison with similar schools, just a crude comparison with all primary schools in Derbyshire.

Do you remember Alan Charles talking about that at the consultation meeting? He talked of his solemn duty with ‘public money’, and the need to ensure that every child in Derbyshire got the same deal. He even explained this concept to the children of the school council, with a weird analogy about why they should feel guilty about getting more Mars bars than other schoolchildren. He ended with, “and that’s just not fair, is it, children?”

Well, let’s look at another example of the distribution of public money.

Each year, DCC’s councillors get a Basic Allowance which is “designed to cover the time commitment of all Members in all meetings including those with officers and members of the public. It is also intended to cover incidental costs such as the use of home and private telephone facilities”. On top of that, a Special Responsibility Allowance is “paid to those Members who perform special responsibilities in relation to the County Council”. The council decides who gets what.

Let’s select a councillor at random, and look at the allowances paid in 2006-07.

Alan Charles, the councillor responsible for schools, gets allowances of more than double the average paid to all DCC councillors. He gets almost three-quarters as much again as the average DCC cabinet member.

Now, that just doesn’t sound fair, does it, children?

But wait a minute. Maybe the allowance scheme has been carefully thought through. Maybe some councillors’ duties are more onerous than others. Maybe their circumstances are different, and they should rightfully claim certain additional allowances. When asked, maybe individual councillors, such as the one above, could give a believable explanation as to why they deserve a significantly above-average allocation of public money.

Although it might not be the right one, there is a plan for spending public money, we can all see what it is, and they’re working to that plan.

Well, guess what? That’s how school budgets are worked out too.

Combs School has been allocated a budget, based on a plan devised by central government and the local education authority. Part of it comes from a fund to protect small rural schools, whose vital role has been heavily acknowledged by government. For that, and other reasons, the allocation per pupil is higher than it is in large schools where economies of scale enable it to be lower.

So Combs School is being penalised for working within the plan devised by its critic – DCC.

And that really isn't fair, is it, children?

Tom Levitt Interviewed

2007-10-26T10:50:00.000+01:00

Tom Levitt MP was interviewed on High Peak Radio this morning. The first part of the interview related to Tom Levitt being in the top ten of MPs claiming expenses in 2006-07. The second part related to the Save Combs School campaign. This is a very quick summary of that portion of the interview. While it isn't a verbatim transcript, it is hopefully accurate*.

High Peak Radio: Are you pleased by the decision to keep the school open?

Tom Levitt: Very pleased. I've always said that it would be the strength of the arguments that would decide the matter, and that's what's happened. A logical, sensible answer has been reached.

HPR: You've come in for a little criticism for not backing the campaign.

TL: It would have been very easy to jump in and believe what was being said by one side rather than the other, but I felt there were arguments on both sides. I met with the parents and governors, wrote to DCC, and asked a Parliamentary Question**. That got important information into the public domain. The answer to my PQ, which restated that there needed to be very strong grounds for closing excellent rural schools, is the very point on which DCC's decision is based. Doing what I did was the most supportive thing that could be legally done.

HPR: How do you respond to criticism that you've tried to claim credit for the campaign's success, unlike parish and borough councillors, who actually backed the campaign?

TL: It would have been very easy to jump in and get headlines about 'MP leads campaign', but as I've said, I thought there were arguments on both sides. If I had done that, perhaps the campaigners would complain now that I had claimed the campaign as my own. I played a large part in getting important information into the public domain which the campaign has been able to use***.

HPR: One questioner on the Save Combs School web site asks "How does Tom propose to halt or reduce the continuous and insidious rural community disengagement by DCC?"

TL: You have to remember that DCC has kept more small rural schools open than any other council. Cheshire, for example, tackled the problem of surplus school places some years ago and closed quite a few small schools. DCC still has to look at the problem of surplus places, though, and find a solution. That's what I meant earlier about there being arguments on both sides. DCC is doing a lot for rural communities. Look at the support for rural bus services, the commission set up to advise on protecting rural life, and the support given to ensure that postal services are still accessible even when a rural post office has to close because it isn't viable. There's a lot being done to support rural communities, and while I understand people's fears about those communities becoming dormitories, sometimes there are market pressures which can't be resisted.

*If anyone who listened to the interview thinks something's inaccurate or missing from this summary, please e-mail the webmaster.

** The exchange of letters between Tom Levitt and Alan Charles is in this post.

*** We previously described the request made to Tom Levitt to correct the factually incorrect information he disseminated. No response has been received to that request.

Use this link to find all posts that mention Tom Levitt.

Reprieve for Peak School?

2007-10-25T12:51:00.000+01:00

Louise Bellicoso's report made the front page of the Buxton Advertiser today.

The story can be read online.

Tune In

2007-10-25T07:43:00.000+01:00

High Peak Radio is the station to tune to today. Nye Rowlands (Chair of Governors) and Mike Evanson (Chair of Village Hall Trustees) were interviewed yesterday, and sound bites from the interview are appearing in the news bulletins.

The station is on 103.3 and 106.4 FM.

Tom Levitt MP will be interviewed at 10:30 on Friday. What would you like him to be asked about the Save Combs School campaign? If you leave your question in a comment on this post, we'll pass it along to High Peak Radio and ask them if they can include it in the interview.

Another New Baby In The Village

2007-10-24T23:32:00.000+01:00

We gave DCC lots of information about how many pupils there would probably be in years to come at Combs School. Our maps included dots for those yet to be born. We were given the information in confidence, and that's why we haven't published the maps, even though they were key pieces of evidence submitted to DCC.

Already during this campaign, two of the dots marked on the map we gave to DCC have become real live people.

And on the same day that DCC has announced their recommendation to keep Combs School open, it's wonderful to be able to report that another dot on the map has turned into a newly born baby.

He and his mother are doing fine. We send our congratulations.

DCC Issues Press Release

2007-10-24T16:17:00.000+01:00

This has just been issued:

RECOMMENDATION TO KEEP SCHOOL OPEN
24 October 2007

Members of Derbyshire County Council’s cabinet are being recommended to keep open an infant school facing possible closure.

During an informal public consultation there were 180 letters and a petition with 1,687 signatures [NOTE 1] opposing proposals to close Combs Infant School in Chapel-en-le-Frith.

When councillors meet on Tuesday 30 October they will be told that although the nearest alternative school, Chapel-en-le-Frith Primary School, provides a good quality education standards at Combs Infant School are currently higher. In its last Ofsted inspection Combs Infant School was rated ‘outstanding’.

As a result they do not believe there is a strong enough case to close Combs Infant School but are recommending that the problem of surplus places in the Chapel-en-le-Frith area is kept under review.

Councillor Alan Charles, Derbyshire County Council’s cabinet member for schools, said: “The purpose of the public consultation was to get the views of people in the Combs and Chapel-en-le-Frith area about the problems being caused by surplus places in the area.

“We have never had any concerns about the quality of education at Combs Infant School. The issue has always been whether it is fair to the tax payer and pupils at other schools in Derbyshire that it costs £5,447 to educate every pupil at Combs [NOTE 2] compared to the county average of £2,635.

“The majority of pupils travel to Combs [NOTE 3] which leaves surplus places available at their local community schools.

“Members of the cabinet will be able to look at all the responses from the consultation and the recommendations before taking a decision.”

Councillors will be told that there are also concerns about the impact that closing the school could have on the community as the building is used by a variety of local groups.

(Ref: JF.362.07) Media enquiries to John Fern on 01629 585234 or email john.fern@derbyshire.gov.uk

This press release repeats some inaccurate information that DCC has used previously, and which they've been asked to correct.

NOTE 1: There were 2141 signatories to the petitions, not 1687.

NOTE 2: It doesn't cost £5,447 per child. That's a budget figure, not an actual figure. We've explained that before.

NOTE 3: The majority of children, current and planned, live within Combs valley - the natural area for the school.

Andrew Bingham Expresses Delight At Recommendation

2007-10-24T14:11:00.000+01:00

High Peak's Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, Andrew Bingham has spoken of his delight at the news that the recommendation to the DCC Cabinet meeting next week is not to close Combs Infant School.

Andrew said, "It is a tribute to all the residents, parents and activists that they have managed to force a change of heart from the County Council. Whilst it isn’t absolutely sorted until after the decision is made, we can only be pleased at the recommendation.

"It seems a long time since many of us attended the public meeting at the school, indeed, the huge attendance meant that the meeting was held outdoors, but all the work that has been done appears to have made the difference.

"I said from the start that the suggestion was unacceptable, badly conceived and illogical, and from the recommendation it now appears that DCC have come to the same conclusion. It is a shame that such a lot of public money has been spent on this when it was obvious from the start that closure was wrong.”

Andrew added, “As well as my own objections as the Parliamentary Candidate for the High Peak, I also objected on behalf of High Peak Borough Council following a discussion by its Social Inclusion Select Committee.

"I am sure that DCC, when faced by the weight of evidence accumulated by local people, must have realised what a mistake they were about to make. I reiterate, that I don’t want to pre-judge the decision, but the recommendation is there for all to see, and I fervently hope that the Cabinet at DCC follow it.”

DCC To Spare Village School

2007-10-23T16:20:00.000+01:00

The following press release has been issued by the campaign.

Derbyshire County Council To Spare Village School From Closure

Combs, UK; 23 October 2007: In a report issued today by Derbyshire County Council, a recommendation has been made not to proceed with the closure of Combs Infant School, in High Peak, Derbyshire. The recommendation will go before the Council’s Cabinet for confirmation of the decision, on 30 October.

The report has been issued following a consultation process that began in May, in which the Council sought to solve their problem of having surplus places in other schools by closing Combs School.

The council received more than 2000 signatures on petitions, and almost 200 letters of opposition. Detailed arguments against the proposed closure have been set out on the campaign web site at save-combs-school.org.uk.

The campaigners have stressed, throughout the consultation, that Combs School was rated in September 2006 by Ofsted as “outstanding value for money”, and was unique in High Peak in providing an outstanding level of service in every category evaluated.

In their recommendation not to proceed, the Council has recognised that by closing the school, they would not – contrary to their statutory duty – be raising educational standards in the area.

Welcoming the report, parent governor Nick Boden commented: “Thankfully, common sense has prevailed, and we look forward to the Cabinet accepting the recommendation put forward by education officers.”

The Council’s recommendation also commented on the unusual arrangement whereby the same building is used for the school, as a village hall, and as a chapel.

“The School operates within a building maintained by the Village Hall Trust.” explained Chairman of the Trustees, Mike Evanson, “There’s a long history of the community providing financial support to the school, and we were very concerned that closing down the school would severely impact our ability to continue to operate the village hall on behalf of all who benefit from its use.”

The campaign opposing the proposed closure has drawn strong support, from within the community of Combs, and far beyond. All of the local parish and borough councils gave their support to the campaign to keep the school open, as did Peak District National Park Authority, Derbyshire Rural Community Council, and the Methodist Church.

The problem of surplus school places in the area will be kept under review by the Council. Chairman of the school Governors, Nye Rowlands, said: “This is undoubtedly good news, but we aren’t complacent, and know that we will have to sustain the strong community support, for this excellent school to continue to be spared the threat of closure.”

ENDS

Report Released:Closure NOT Recommended

2007-10-23T12:06:00.000+01:00

DCC has released the report written by their Education Officers.

Their recommendation, which is NOT to close Combs Infant School, will be put before the DCC Cabinet on 30 October.

You can download a full copy of the report. (123k, Adobe Acrobat Format)

The report ends:

Strategic Director for Children and Younger Adults’ Recommendations

7.1 That the Authority does not proceed to the publication of Statutory Notices in respect of the proposed closure of Combs Infant School with effect from 31 August 2008.

7.2 That the situation regarding surplus places in this area of the County be kept under review.

We want to know what you think, so please leave a comment on this post as soon as possible. If you're not sure how to do that, read this post to find out how to leave a comment.

UPDATE 23 OCT, 16:20
A press release has been issued on behalf of the campaign. Download (65k, Adobe Acrobat format)

UPDATE 23 OCT, 21:04
In response to questions and concerns we've received, we can pass on something we've been told by a good source:
"It is unthinkable that the Cabinet wouldn't accept the recommendation. It would be indefensible at a judicial review."

Be Brave, Mr. Charles

2007-10-21T21:15:00.000+01:00

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

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

'H’ is for HARVEST, ‘H’ is for HOPE

2007-10-19T23:10:00.000+01:00

It is Harvest Festival in the Church calendar.

This week, Combs Village Hall has seen two services to celebrate Harvest.

The Reverend David Philo presided over both occasions and led the congregation in thought and prayer.

First it was the turn of Combs 1st Brownies. On Wednesday 17th October, their regular weekly meet at Combs Village Hall & Chapel became a Harvest service.

The Brownies performed a delightful short play, Five Brown Bulbs, with accompanying songs and poems.

The audience joined in with some well-known Harvest hymns and songs such as ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’.

The service was followed by a chocolate and sweet tombola, Bring and Buy, and refreshments.

All proceeds will be going to help build a vocational training centre in war-torn Beirut for young people with cerebral palsy who want to learn a trade to help support themselves and their families.

Today, Friday 19th October, it was the turn of Combs Infant School.

The children had worked hard at learning songs and poems with a Harvest theme which they sang and read beautifully to parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters.

Mrs Curry spoke briefly about her recent experiences in Africa and the problems with transporting food to market.

A collection was made for Rwandan children whose lives have been devastated by the years of genocide.

H is for Harvest and H is for Hope. We hope that some lives will be improved by our fundraising activities in Combs this week.

We also hope that both these services will continue to be performed in our School, Chapel and Village Hall next year and in the future, as they have been for so many years - until a bad day last May when our Local Authority decided, in their wisdom, to threaten the age-old established rhythms of our quiet community for an extra few pence in their pot.

Outstanding Achievement Recognised

2007-10-18T09:30:00.000+01:00

This logo will now be proudly displayed on the school letterhead, as a result of receiving a letter from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools today.

The letter opened with, "One of my most enjoyable duties is to publish a list of providers that were judged to be outstanding when they were inspected. Please accept my warmest congratulations on achieving this very high standard of practice. I do not underestimate the enormous hard work that it takes."

The letter goes on to invite headteacher Avis Curry to a conference in Birmingham, in January 2008, that will recognise schools which have achieved an "outstanding" classification. The conference will gather ideas on best practice and aims to use them to 'provide better outcomes for all learners'.

Ofsted's web site has the list of outstanding providers.

Remember, this isn't the first time that the work done by Avis Curry and her team has been recognised as outstanding by Ofsted.

In 2000-2001, the same 'outstanding' award was made to Combs School.

Avis was quoted in DCC's own newspaper "NW Insight", in 2002: "We're delighted that all our hard work has been recognised. The fact that we are a small school means that we can develop a really close relationship betweeen the home, school and children."

Another quote in the article also highlighted the role of small schools: "I would like to add my congratulations to staff, pupils, governors and parents at Combs Infant. It's particularly pleasing to see smaller schools on the OfSTED list and it provides a shining example of how smaller schools provide an excellent education for their communities."

Who said that? That's right, Councillor Alan Charles.

Other Schools Fight On

2007-10-17T09:30:00.000+01:00

As reported by Zena Hawley in today's Derby Evening Telegraph.

PARENTS TO FIGHT SCHOOL CLOSURES
Furious parents have vowed to fight on after the county council decided to go ahead with plans to close their children's school.

Derbyshire councillors voted yesterday to publish formal notices which could close Highfield Primary School, in Long Eaton, next summer.

They also agreed to proceed with closure plans for Castle Gresley Infants School and Apperknowle Primary, near Dronfield.

The move is designed to eliminate some of the 8,000 surplus places in schools across the county.

But parent Karen Beck, who has been helping to co-ordinate a campaign to keep Highfield Primary open, said that everyone at the 114-pupil school felt very angry about the situation.

Together with a number of parents from Long Eaton, Castle Gresley and Apperknowle, she attended the council cabinet meeting at Matlock yesterday.

When the council first proposed closing Highfield Primary School, it mistakenly estimated that it had 39 per cent of surplus space.

But it had taken into account two disused classrooms and, without them, surplus places were down to 24 per cent - just under the figure that triggers a review of surplus places in a school.

Mrs Beck said: "We feel that everything we have put forward has been turned around to suit the council's aim to close the school.

"And we are unhappy over the way the council keeps putting different pupil numbers forward to justify its stance."

....

Full Story on the Derby Evening Telegraph web site.

So, it's not just with Combs School that DCC has been accused of using inaccurate information. Are they incapable of using information that is correct, or just unwilling because they wouldn't win their argument if they did?

A Cry to Cabinet

2007-10-16T15:30:00.000+01:00

A heartfelt appeal to DCC's Cabinet from a villager with children at Combs School.

I walked out of school last Thursday morning and I wept - yes, real tears - at the thought that this remarkable little place could be closed down.

I had left the children in the ‘big’ classroom being introduced, and introducing themselves, to the trainee teacher who has been seconded here for the ‘observation’ part of her course. They were all sitting cross-legged on the carpet, backs straight, eyes bright and interested. The discipline, yet the warmth, is exceptional. The soft smile on the face of the trainee teacher in response to the children said it all.

You cannot help but feel good in this school. They start five minutes early every Tuesday and Thursday now in response to new Government initiatives for children to get more exercise during the school day. Those little people are all out in the playground, the hills as backdrop down this quiet village lane, clutching white ropes and learning to skip. I often linger just to watch them. It’s wonderful seeing them trying to master this basic skill - some better than others! It’s wonderful to see them out in the fresh air, cheeks turning pinker by the minute. And it’s wonderful to hear from the teachers that it really sets them up for the day, helps them concentrate.

Yet again, it shows how this school consistently – even under the threat of closure – is making an effort to provide the very best for its pupils. Many would have given up, said ‘why bother?’ But this school hasn’t. It has immense spirit – and, once again, the example the teachers set rubs off on those small shoulders. It is these less tangible aspects of school life and education which this school excels at – not just the academic ones.

Is it really right that such a fine example of education in this country should have the sword of Damacles hanging over it? Just because it is a small village school? Just because it is a bit less economical to run? (Though let’s not forget its ‘outstanding value for money’ accolade in the eyes of Ofsted, eh?) Just because only a small number of children are actually lucky enough to have such a great start in life? If the Cabinet members at Derbyshire County Council decide on 30th October to push ahead with the closure, against all sense and logic, significantly more children will be deprived of a fantastic launch pad. This school could be open for many many more generations of children if they just left it alone. Every little helps, surely, in this broken world that we live in?

Combs Infant School is not broken. The things that need fixing are beyond Combs. We are victims of a situation not of our making. The teachers are doing everything that Government wants. Money is not the issue here. I implore those decision makers to understand that it is the teachers with their management skills and their passion for the job, where the children are the sole and primary focus of all that they do, that makes a school great. It is not all about money.

Yesterday I drove past the Village Hall and thought of the young children of Combs and surrounding area inside those old stone walls enjoying their hot lunch served up by Alan who calls them all ‘mate’ as he asks them what they want to eat. It is a micro world in there, a hive of learning activity, fun, games, music, art and sport. It is the beating heart of our community. Who in their right minds could even think of killing it dead?

The village would become very silent, a shadow of its former self, without the life that revolves round that hall and chapel – from infant education to adult education, from Brownies to baptism, from community fun days to weddings.

Think hard. Think very, very, hard. There is no going back, after all.

Closure Recommended for Other Schools

2007-10-16T07:43:00.000+01:00

At the DCC Cabinet meeting today, the future of the other schools that have undergone a public consultation will be discussed. (Agenda for the meeting)

DCC's web site has the news stories (and the reports being presented to Cabinet):

Apperknowle Primary	News	Report
Castle Gresley Infant	News	Report
Highfield Primary	News	Report

Education officers have recommended to the politicians that the schools be closed. In response to the concerns of campaigners at each of the schools, it is said that "Councillors will be told that education officers believe these concerns can be addressed".

If this meeting acts on the recommendations of the education officers, formal notices of closure will be published.

UPDATE 16 Oct, 18:20
The recommendations were unopposed by anyone on the Cabinet, and barely even questioned. As we suspected earlier, it did appear that they weren't bothered.

DCC will now proceed with the formal closure procedure for the three schools.

UPDATE 17 Oct, 11:30
The presentation of the recommendations was said by observers to have contained "trivia", "contradictions" and "cheap shots". We'll post a link to the minutes of the meeting when they're posted on the DCC site, so that you can make up your own mind about that.

A Little More History

2007-10-15T20:56:00.000+01:00

Do you know when this photograph was taken outside Combs School, or the identity of the children pictured? Please let us know if you do.

We've talked about the long history of Combs School before on this web site, to put into proper context what DCC proposes to bring to an untimely end.

Here's a little more history: the following is an extract from the book 'The Story of My Village' written and published by Marguerite A. Life Bellhouse in 1968.

Both the Sunday and Day School are now held in the Wesleyan Chapel, which was built in 1864. Prior to this, the Sunday School was held in a cottage near the Chapel, for some years, but at one time, both schools were held in the Reading Room at Rye Flatt.
1721 John Wright of Baghouses, by Will, gave a rent charged of £2 per annum, "for the encouragement of a Schoolmaster into Combs Edge", providing the neighbours in the Edge would make up more within 12 months". The neighbours did not respond.*
1861 The Day School was held at Ivy Cottage, and was kept by Miss H. Morten assisted by Mary Ann Fox. Miss Morten, who was to have been married, fell ill and decided it was not fair to her fiancé to wait for her recovery, which might not happen. Adam Fox encouraged her to start this school, which was very successful. Ivy Cottage, near the Bee Hive, has been enlarged (there were two then), and is now called "Little Corner"**.
1881 The School was at the Wesleyan Chapel, and the Teacher was Miss Jackson, with a salary of £35 per annum.
1882 The Teacher was Miss Bebbington.
1883 The Teacher was Miss Goldstraw, and according to Mr. Jim Lomas, who was a pupil at the Chapel, she was the "best writer in Combs". His brother and sister went to "Ivy Cottage" School.
1886 The Teacher was Miss Washington.
1887-94 The Teachers were Miss Proctor and Miss White, the latter came from Leicester, and lodged with Mrs. Bagshawe at Smithy Cottages.
1894-97 The Teacher was Miss Muir, who lodged at Smithy Cottages. One of the older girls, Abigail Clayton, held the post of pupil teacher to the infants. At this time, there were 42 pupils at the School, all taught by Miss Muir, until she had an assistant. Children came from the remote farm "Moss House", which is nearer Buxton than Combs, perhaps more than three miles distant. After Miss Muir came Miss Hetty Mortin, Mrs Shilton, Miss Voles and Mrs Coates.
1900 The Sunday School was kept by Mrs Ollerenshaw.
1907 (Dec 21st) "A meeting, which may prove to historical, was held in the little hamlet of Combs on Thursday, December 12th. It was the first meeting of the Managers of the recently established Combs Council School, which hitherto, had been a Wesleyan School. The Managers are Mr. J. E. Lomas, Mr. Thomas Yates, Mr James Brocklehurst, Mr. Francis Bramwell, Mr. John Fallows and Mr. J. Hague. There followed a list of Teachers, and a discussion ensued about new chairs, desks and books."
1914 Mrs. Shilton, of Lane End Cottages, taught here for some years around this time.

* Hmmm...not an easy start!
** Which happens to be the current home of this campaign's webmaster.

Report Due on 23 October

2007-10-11T11:09:00.000+01:00

Mark your diary for 23 October. We expect to get the report compiled by DCC on that day, and make it available on this site.

We'll want to know what people think of the report, so you might want to look at this post, which describes how to add your comments to posts on this blog.

Learning from Experience

2007-10-06T17:36:00.000+01:00

Is education not all about widening horizons, broadening the mind? Certainly, in large part, it is. Through the eyes and ears of their head teacher, Avis Curry, the pupils of Combs Infant School have a window on Africa in their small reception hall in the heart of the Peak District. This area of the reception is frequently used for displays of the children’s work but, for now, it is an ‘interactive’ corner of Africa, a learning experience for all.

Mrs Curry has written eloquently about her time in Rwanda in an earlier post. It is well worth a read and puts us to shame in a number of areas – from the Rwandan attitude to plastic bags and recycling to the smiles on their faces despite suffering years of horror and hardship.

The children at Combs school smile a lot too. Not because they are smug and know how lucky they are, but simply because they are happy. They enjoy learning. Their teachers make it fun. They have a wonderful environment in which to develop a love of learning which they will hopefully carry with them through the rest of their lives. A lot of children in large, urban schools leave with quite another attitude. They are the ‘lost’ children of our education system. Victims of over-large classes, poor discipline, bullying and no natural beauty around them to inspire and energise them.

Small schools are like a large family. They share experiences together and they learn from them. They talk about things, they help each other. Mrs Curry was able to go to Rwanda confident in her team to look after the children she was leaving behind – and confident that the children wouldn’t let her down or misbehave in her absence. This sort of school is a blueprint for society. It would be a crime to shut it down – and extremely short-sighted.

Date Finally Set for Cabinet Review

2007-10-02T09:00:00.000+01:00

The report on the proposed closure of Combs Infant School will go before DCC's Cabinet on 30 October 2007. A copy of the final report will be available to the campaigners on 23 October.

It will be posted on this site as soon as we get it. Remember to come back and look for it.

Do you want to attend the Cabinet meeting?
The Cabinet meeting will be in Matlock on 30 October, from 10:30am, for two or three hours. If you want to show your support for Combs School, Village Hall and Chapel, you might want to be there, to look the Cabinet up and down as they make their decision. If so, please e-mail the Webmaster, as soon as possible, to be added to the list. DCC needs to know how many people will attend.

P.S. We understand that the other three schools slated for closure will be considered by the Cabinet on 16 October, and that the first version of the report on Combs had to be redrafted before Cabinet could review it. We're trying to find out why.

UPDATE 04 October
The information we received was incorrect. The report sent to Alan Charles by David Humphrey was not a full Cabinet report, but a report on the consultation and the issues involved. It did not contain a recommendation. The full report for Cabinet is being worked on now, and will contain a recommendation for what action should be taken.

Reflections On Rwanda

2007-09-28T13:49:00.000+01:00

Let's take a break from the long wait for DCC to make up their mind about the closure of our school, and find out what headteacher Avis Curry got up to in Rwanda.

Remember the goodbye messages that the children gave her, back in May? Here are Avis' reflections on Rwanda.

My time in Rwanda was an experience that I shall never forget. It was challenging, thought provoking, exciting, exhausting, fascinating and sad, all at the same time. So why did I go? After such a successful Ofsted report at Combs, as well as enjoying the moment, you ask yourself ‘what next?’ Some head teachers might look to ‘move on’, but I really enjoy what I do at Combs. So I saw this as an opportunity to refresh and revitalise my role as a school leader by revisiting my vision and values, whilst developing my leadership and management skills.

I was able to positively engage with capacity building at a strategic level whilst reflecting on my own current practice. Enriching the curriculum at Combs with my experiences as well as contributing to the global perspective, both at Combs and our cluster schools will be another benefit. So after all the excitement it is wonderful to return to Combs and carry on leading the teaching and learning here.

The curriculum in Rwanda is not too dissimilar to our own and amazingly it is delivered without basic resources. The school to which I was attached had neither electricity nor running water, yet taught all subjects (except ICT!). From the age of about 8, all subject teaching is done through the country’s second language, French. All children from the age of 6 were taught 3 languages, English, French and Kinyrwanda (local dialect). They had few text books or pictures, no paints, crayons (etc), no formal music, but the sound and sight of the children singing, drumming and dancing was just wonderful. PE was football, volleyball or marching. Football is very big in Rwanda and English clubs are avidly followed, with the favourites being Manchester United and Arsenal. The children could tell me more about the players names and positions than I knew.

My remit was vast and unrealistic, but one of the foci was to improve the capacity of the school to improve, and yes, Rwanda also uses exam results to ‘league table’ their schools! Some of the problems faced were very reminiscent of the UK many years ago and from this aspect I felt most helpful as I could stop another head teacher from having to ‘re-invent the wheel’! Other areas of involvement were working with the parents and the community to improve the educational outcome for the children, training the teachers in current teaching methodology and starting up self-help cluster groups of schools, both within their own districts and across the country. So I was kept fairly busy!

I worked with my head teacher to introduce him to the computer and the internet. He now has an internet account and is keeping in touch through e-mail. Now he desperately wants a computer! It is amazing to think that in the middle of a very poor country, which is still recovering from the genocide, with an underfed and unemployed population, that you can find 2 or 3 internet cafes in the middle of a town. Where there is no electricity, people are using solar cells! The only bad thing about these cafes is that there was no protection against unsuitable sites and I often found children accessing explicit pornography and no one seemed to care, not even when I made an issue of it and threatened the police.

Living in Rwanda has made me realise that everybody doesn’t need to jump through the same hoops to develop. For instance Rwanda is very ‘green’. If you are lucky enough to have light bulbs then they are always low wattage. No plastic bags are allowed in the country, and just about anything you can think of is recycled or reused. Everyone grows food in any and every available space without pesticides (even if it is for the wrong reason - that they cannot afford them), and mobile phones are the norm. I don’t know that they will ever totally replace the landline grid and mobiles also double up as watches. It was worrying to observe the teachers picking up their mobiles in class and looking at them until I realised they were looking to see if it was time to change lessons.

The worst part of living in Rwanda was the feeling of inadequacy experienced when people talked of their experiences during the genocide and the thousands of children that have been left with absolutely no one to look after them. The lucky ones are orphans living with a relative, but for so many all the relatives were also killed and they are totally alone. So many children also have Aids and are not expected to become adults, so therefore are largely totally ignored.

Having lived in Rwanda I now really appreciate being able to turn on a tap and have a drink or a wash, and a hot shower is still a treat! Food was also a problem, as even when you could buy it I never quite mastered the kerosene stove, which repeatedly turned myself and the food black!

What I miss about Rwanda are the smiling faces; they have relatively little to smile about but a smile is always there. Perhaps I’d better not dwell on the warm sunny weather also (although it could be quite chilly morning and night.)

Avis Curry
October 2007

In case you're wondering, no-one from Rwanda has visited this blog yet. Of the 35 countries where visitors have come from, only three are in Africa: Morocco, Egypt and South Africa. There's lots of information on the web about education in Rwanda, so if you want to know more, start here.

Uncertainty Over Decision Day

2007-09-25T12:30:00.000+01:00

During the consultation period, which closed on 6 July, we were told that DCC would review the results of the consultation and make a decision on what happens next by the end of September.

That became an expected date of mid October for a DCC Cabinet meeting. The reason we were given for the delay was that there was a large amount of documents and letters for DCC to process, and compile into a report.

But now we've learned that the DCC Cabinet members have not been able to set a date on which they will have finished 'gathering views' and will decide the fate of Combs Infant School, Village Hall and Chapel.

Meanwhile, our village school has opened for a new term and is operating as normally as it can, given its uncertain future.

The decision by DCC affects dozens of children, and scores of families, for a long time to come. We wish DCC would get on with their decision-making.

How hard can it be, for DCC to recognise that preserving a precious asset is the right thing to do?

A reminder of what can happen next...
Once DCC has (in their own good time) reviewed all of the input they received during the consultation period, their Cabinet, led by the member responsible for schools (Alan Charles, pictured right, defending the indefensible) will decide whether to press on (if they haven't come to their senses) and publish the formal notice of intended closure of the school. If they (stupidly) do that, there's then a further six-week period in which they will accept more input. At the end of that period, they decide whether to continue with the closure (against all reason).

So, be prepared for this to run on into (at least) 2008.

Read the post on "The Legal Framework" for more details.

Appalled... After All The Hard Work

2007-09-21T09:00:00.000+01:00

Another letter to DCC.

I am a long-time resident of Combs, and I am writing to express my opposition regarding your proposal to close Combs Infant School.

In 1990 I was elected a parent governor of Combs Infant School and played an active and rewarding part in the school management. My daughter was part of the fourth generation of our family to attend the school with two of my grandchildren currently attending as pupils today.

During my second year as governor, a structural fault in the building was identified and four years later the toilet facilities were deemed inadequate.

The Village Hall Trust was formed to secure an agreement with the Methodist Church, who owned the building, in order to seek the necessary funding to correct the structural problems. In 1996, temporary toilet facilities were brought onto the site, and the Village Hall Trust set about the task of incorporating the new toilets into an enlarged and much improved School/Village Hall.

I am appalled that fifteen years later, after all the hard work (manual in some cases), and fund raising by our community you are considering closing this success story on the grounds of economy. The school has gone from strength to strength with amazing academic and social results.

It appears likely that the closure of the school could be profoundly damaging to the local community, to the survival of the current, vital facilities, and to village cohesion. The Village Hall provides a critical facility, regularly used by all age groups, and this would potentially be no longer available if the school was closed.

I urge you, considering all these factors, to reconsider this proposal.

Village Life Is Gravely Threatened

2007-09-20T09:00:00.000+01:00

This letter to DCC is from a Combs resident.

I am writing to add my voice to the many that are protesting against the authority's proposal to close our village school. I would like to draw attention to the wider role of the school and village hall as the focus of village life and our small community.

Combs is a rural farming community, the sort of village that keeps Derbyshire's tourist industry alive - yet the authority threatens to destroy the nature of the village that contributes to the wealth of the county as a whole.

In the last five years, Combs has lost its post office. We have not had a shop or newsagent in the village for many years. The library bus does visit once a week, but apart from that, the school and village hall is the only place where people can meet. Closing the school will damage the long term viability of the hall and strike yet another blow at rural life.

I do hope that my representatives on the county council do not knowingly destroy the fabric of life in the village that I enjoy living in so much.

Derbyshire County Council has a responsibility to those of us living in the rural parts of the county as well as those living in the county's towns and cities. I do not underestimate the challenges facing the county council but I think it would be a huge loss to the county as a whole if small communities like Combs become dormitories, with no local focus. Without the school and village hall, the fabric of our village life is gravely threatened.

DCC have had more than 200 letters about the proposed closure.

Manifestly a Happy School

2007-09-19T00:02:00.000+01:00

This is another extract from the letter written to DCC by an ex-headteacher.

I understand that managing long-term issues like falling rolls is extremely difficult given short-term needs to balance annual budgets, but I would ask you to consider a long-term need which is of growing concern in the world of education and which will need to be addressed - namely, the happiness of children.

Any parent or teacher knows that children who are happy learn better than if they are distressed. Please therefore consider carefully not only the huge degree of distress that would be caused to the parents, children and community of Combs by the closure of its vigorously supported Infant School but the fact that it is manifestly a happy school.

In future years, given an unacceptable degree of unhappiness in the nation's school children, educational planners and teachers are going to have to give more thought to what makes children happy. Here at Combs you have a manifestly happy school, indeed the 'flagship' school that one of the parents mentioned. In many ways it could be the model for future infant schools and thought should be given to the notion that were Chapel Primary School smaller, it might well be better.

Balancing the books (and it's not as if a great deal of money is at stake here at Combs) is surely of less importance than the preservation of a school which has the secret of making children happy and wanting to learn. As Ofsted noted, it is a conspicuously successful school and you run the risk, by closing it, of replacing happiness - a rare thing in education - with unhappiness.

Can you really believe that you have picked the right school to close as you search for solutions to falling rolls (generally speaking) in the county?

Just a reminder: if you haven't already told DCC what you think about their plan to close an excellent school, write to them before they meet in October to decide the school's fate. Get involved: find out who to write to.

Dear Mr. Charles ...

2007-09-18T06:25:00.000+01:00

A message from a six-year old pupil at Combs Infant School to Cllr. Alan Charles, DCC's Cabinet member for schools.

"I don't want you to close Combs Infant School, because I will lose my friends. This school is a church and people get married. I want my brother to go to this school."

Educationally Wrong Thing To Do

2007-09-17T09:00:00.000+01:00

This time, the letter to DCC is from someone in Buxworth.

I understand well the problems of falling rolls, having worked in state secondary schools since 1963 and ending my career as Headteacher of Bramhall High School – one of England’s largest and most successful comprehensive schools.

Though I recognize the difficulties that DCC is under with regard to falling rolls, I accept the arguments so ably put forward at the meeting on 22nd May by the school, its parents and governors, and by those who operate the Methodist Hall as a community facility.

It is evident that anticipated rolls at Combs Infant School are not falling. Presently, far from there being a surplus of places, the school is actually two over its standard number and I am certain that it will continue to be under pressure for places for many years to come. Had there been surplus places the case for closure would have been stronger. As it is – and it makes sense to think of the area of Chapel-en-le-Frith, Whaley Bridge and Chinley as a whole in terms of the provision of education in the area – there is a great deal of building activity at the moment and Whaley Bridge and Chinley schools are already under pressure for places.

Moreover, as the parents demonstrated at the meeting, it is unlikely that the surplus of places at Chapel CE Primary School will be filled by parents who would otherwise have sent their children to Combs. Indeed, some will be tempted to take up places at Kettleshulme Primary School, which will cost DCC to send them to Cheshire.

I am certain that to close it now, for all those reasons which parents, governors and the community of Combs gave at the meeting, would be educationally the wrong thing to do.

There'll be more from this letter, later this week.

MP Leaves Questions Unanswered

2007-09-16T10:54:00.000+01:00

Referring to Tom Levitt's letter where he depicted himself as a 'critical friend' to both sides (campaigners and DCC), a Combs resident wrote to him in early August, as follows.

I now understand that you won't be trying to apply any influence on behalf of those of your constituents who are involved in the campaign to save the school.

For you to be the 'critical friend to both sides' that you wish to be, I think you could do more to ensure that accurate information is in the public domain. You repeated the figures that DCC started the closure proposal with, on your web site and in correspondence with people in the area. I'd like to see you correcting that information where it has now been proved to be false - for example, the calculation of per-pupil cost.

I'd also like to know, as I asked in my last message, what you have done to explain the funding arrangement for schools to those people who have complained about 'subsidising' Combs school. As you surely know, that is a view based on a misunderstanding of how the funding is organised.

You would do much to encourage balance if you would make a public correction of some of the key data used by DCC and repeated by you. Will you do that?

Tom Levitt's reply, a month later, left these questions unanswered.

I take exception to your suggestion that I "won't be trying to apply any influence" on behalf of the school in the current process which is being undertaken by Derbyshire County Council.

As I have explained before, I have no influence by virtue of my office and no statutory role in the procedure at all. However, I do believe that by using my status and experience I have succeeded in getting a lot of information into the public domain which is proving valuable to the campaign.

The principle upon which consultations work is that it is the strength of the argument which wins or loses the day rather than undue "influence"

Why Mend What Isn't Broken?

2007-09-16T08:51:00.000+01:00

With just a few weeks to go before the Cabinet at DCC considers the report that is being compiled by a DCC officer on the proposed closure of Combs School, it's time to give you more excerpts from the large number of letters sent to DCC.

This letter to DCC is from a Chapel-en-le-Frith resident.

Ours is a farming area, and children have by tradition been cared for in small schools until old enough to undertake longer journeys. There is also the question of facing large numbers of children in school, when their own environments are fairly enclosed or even isolated. These infants have shown, by the awards they have won, that this system works for them.

They have excelled at this little country school. So why mend it, when it isn't broken?

Please think again about the effects the closure of this little school will have on our local community. Please consider its excellent track record, and leave it open for my grandson to find - he will NEED it.

Petition Still Gathering Names

2007-09-11T05:58:00.001+01:00

194 people, whose names appear below, have signed the online petition to save Combs School. If you're one of them, thank you.

Before DCC considers the report on Combs School, Village Hall and Chapel, there's still time for more names to be added. We'll be letting DCC know the final tally in early October.

Do you know anyone who would like to add their name? Tell them to sign the petition.

Stephen Lyons	Jane Alexander	Karl Ardern	Maria Gannon
Farhat Yasmin	Chris Parkinson	Simon Byrd	Suzie Denton
Hugh Barton	Jayne Watkins	Steven Fawkes	Helen Bessell
Chris Wood	John Hargreaves	Diana Guthrie	Jeremy Briggs
Melvyn Hale	Simon Bessell	A A.Wilkinson	Monika Briggs
Richard Parker	Greger Scholander	Philip Horner	Sophie Baker
Jenny Parker	Paul Duddy	Malcolm Hough	Tim Stenton
Dianne Campbell	Naomi Parkinson	Paul Evans	Petula Solomon
Carah Boden	Rachel White	Jenny Hill	Gordon Hay
Tim Millar	Dave Quinn	John Hepplestone	Carol Herbert
Amanda Johnson	Lauren Dougherty	Cassandra Valter	Steve Decker
Thomas Monaghan	Chloe Walker	Angela Tellier	Jayne Stephens
Michael Evanson	Chris Magee	Olivia Rigby	Anne Jones
Claire Campbell	K George	Marcia Pollock	Lloyd Martin
Jillian Leopold	Andrew Parkinson	Pat Salt	Brenda Clarkson
Jenny Curtin	Mark Hargreaves	Colin Hardwick	Margaret Read
Frances Barton	Sarah Ottaway	Caroline Hardwick	Michelle Gunter
Joanne Lloyd	Freda Jackson	Paul Everard	Chris Mcmahon
Elizabeth Millar	Amanda Novacki	Terry Fullagar	Ian Read
Josephine King	Catherine Darbyshire	Paul Sanders	Simon Godwin
Catherine Eastwood	Charlene Cannon	Judith Dubrawski	Karen Grimshaw
Adele Moores	Alistair Macdonald	Helen Varey	Cynthia Burton
Andrew Jones	John Hanmer	Susan Beatty	Judy Brown
Donal Cairns	Susan Cox	Stuart Prior	Tim Lambert
Brian Lavalette	Louise Price	Jane Mckie	Christopher Hargreaves
Bernadette Stiell	Carole Burton	Edward Watts	Andy Johnson
Ann Norman	Andrew Hargreaves	Helen Notman	Bethan Smith
David Norman	Christopher Sellors	John Mills	Claire Dorrington
Jean Evanson	Gareth Cox	Christine Horner	Gee Macrory
Philippa Kyle	Charles Dorrington	Joanne Miller	Joanne Mimnagh
Jeremy Thatcher	Timothy Betts	Joanan Reyers	John Samuel
Gordon Millar	Tina Lowes	Julie Glynn	Charlotte Mellor
Charlotte Millar	David Rigby	Paul Dancer	Zoe Lingard
Amanda Barton	Wendy Knowles	Angela Mclachlan	Stuart Barker
Karen Roberts	Peter Knowles	Elaine Smth	Michael Barton
Paul Denton	Andrew Knowles	Caroline Pullin	Hayden Mellor
Kerry Byrne	David Knowles	Sue Miller	Mark Gadd
Angela Smith	Carolyn Parkinson	Judith Irwin	Jacqueline Gadd
Tracey Middleton	William Musk	Nye Rowlands	Sally Barnett
Annabel Williamson	Michael Knowles	Ann Barnes	Gareth Wain
Gary Motteram	Ludovica Serratrice	Marilyn Hunt	Paul Graham
David Spendlove	Wayne Little	Alexander Parkinson	Tamsin Critchlow
John Blake	L Baker	Sue Shaw	Ali Davies
Joanna Bragg	Sue Ardern	Carol Cunningham	Matthew Goldsbrough
Carol Kelly	Dale Smith	Susie Miles
David Hall	Jenny Knowles	Steve Wood
John Jenkins	Shirley Jackson	Jane Hargreaves
Nalini Boodhoo	Tony Roden	Kathryn Brown
Ben Palmer	Graham Jackson	Louise Nash
Diane Slaouti	Lesley Morten	Zoe Lynch

D-Day in Fight for Infant School

2007-09-06T14:35:00.000+01:00

Today's Buxton Advertiser reported on Fun Day and the delay in decision-making by DCC.

Cabinet Review

2007-08-24T10:31:00.000+01:00

The likely date - still to be confirmed - for the DCC Cabinet to review the report on Combs School is 16 October.

The report will be released a week before the meeting, so that's likely to be 9 October.

We'll update you if these dates change.

Tom Levitt, "Critical Friend"

2007-08-23T07:00:00.000+01:00

Tom Levitt MP sent the following letter to several constituents at the beginning of July, giving his assessment of the 'state of play'.

(Click on the image for a larger view)

In the letter, Mr. Levitt says:

I committed myself from the beginning to helping make sure that this process was conducted in a manner which was transparent, open and fair to all concerned. To that end I have:
Visited the school and met children, staff and (on several occasions) parents

Worked closely with the Chair of Governors and other campaigners

Contacted DCC on several occasions, not least to challenge claims made by the authority, and made my findings available to the campaign

Tabled a Parliamentary Question on the criteria for closing rural schools, which produced a reply which was helpful to the campaign

Advised campaigners on which elements of your campaign to concentrate upon and which to refine; and on tactics

Highlighted your campaign on my web site and invited the public to comment

Contributed to a debate at a High Peak Constituency Labour Party meeting which voted to support your campaign.
What I have not done is behave in a way which raises your expectations unduly, hijacks your campaign to my own ends or supports claims which are not relevant or cannot be substantiated.

Meanwhile, you have generated an excellent campaign web site, several powerful documents about the school and its role in the village and significant support from third parties such as High Peak Borough Council.

It is clear that the impact on surplus places and the capitation levels of other schools, were Combs to close, would be minimal. What will not be clear for some time yet is whether these arguments are sufficient to win the day.

In an earlier letter to a constituent, defending himself against a charge of being 'limp and pathetically non-committal', Mr. Levitt wrote:

I do not have a say in the final outcome. I am not part of the decision-making process but I do want to see justice be done. The best way to achieve this is not by screaming opposition to the County Council but rather by helping the campaigners mount a strong, credible and well-argued case.

He laid out the steps he has taken so far (similar to the letter above), and went on:

I have also said that I understand the position of the County Council in needing to reduce the number of 'surplus places' in the school system. Quite frankly, any school that spends over £5,000 per year on each child would be able to produce 'excellent' results and it is difficult to justify maintaining the existence of a small school to serve a small community when most children do not live in the immediate environs of that school.

So I think that I have been 'a critical friend' to both sides in this argument and I believe the campaigners have a strong chance of saving the school.

I should also tell you that I have had several letters of concern from parents of children in other schools, asking in strong terms why it is that children at Combs merit having 50% more cash spent on them than their children do at other schools.

Mr. Levitt has been made aware of the following by the campaign:

Cost per pupil is not £5,000 at Combs: it's significantly lower. This has been acknowledged by DCC's finance department.

There is no evidence of a simple correlation between amount of money spent and the results that a school produces. There are more expensive schools than Combs which achieve lower ratings. Results are determined by how well resources are used.

Most of the students attending Combs School do live in the valley. That's also true for the projected intake in the next few years.

Larger schools tend to have a lower cost-per-pupil because of economies of scale.

Mr. Levitt was asked at the beginning of August if he will correct misleading information on his web site (relating to per-pupil costs, school roll numbers, and location of students) which is a restatement of inaccurate information supplied by DCC. He has not replied.

What do you think? Could Tom Levitt do more? Should he?

Have your say in the comments, or e-mail Tom Levitt.

"All The Things We Do Are Fun"

2007-08-21T17:02:00.000+01:00

These letters were sent to Cllr. Alan Charles by two seven year olds at Combs Infant School.

"Please don't shut this school because all things we do are fun and all the friends that we have made we would have to split up. Little brothers and sisters that would like to come will not be able to do all the exciting things that we have done. We learn about exciting artists. We have lots of fun activities that we do with our fun teacher. There are no bullies in this school and if there is we sort it out straight away. When we learn things we learn them really quickly."

"Please do not close our school because it has no bullying and we learn a lot in our topics. We have fun when we play games. I really like my friends when they play with me. If you close our school I will have to go to a school far away. I don't want to do that because I live in Combs."

Trying to Destroy a Jewel

2007-08-20T15:29:00.000+01:00

With Combs Fun Day behind us, let's return to the serious business of keeping Combs School, Village Hall and Chapel open, with another excerpt from a letter sent to DCC. This time it's from a concerned grandparent, who is also a long-time governor at another school.

I write in support of maintaining Combs Infant School as a valuable cog in DCC's educational wheel.

There are many arguments in favour, not least the need to continue to attract younger families to the village, thus ensuring that the community remains viable and well balanced in socio-economic terms. The school, and its associations with the chapel and the village hall as a homogenous unit and focal point for village life, is vital to the well-being of Combs.

Starting full-time school is no hurdle for very young children if they feel part of an extended family in familiar local surroundings. Throw them in at the deep end of a large county primary and they can founder and some will drown. Educationally, Combs is not about drowning (see the most recent Ofsted report) although DCC is currently proposing to push this successful school's head under water.

The decision to consider the closure of a successful and much-acclaimed village school further demonstrates that in the drive for bureaucratic correctness and budgetary 'efficiency', the human factor is very low on your list of priorities. I do urge you to think long and hard before destroying what ought to be one of the jewels in the crown of the Derbyshire Education Authority.

If you haven't already made your feelings known to DCC, find out who to write to.

Combs Fun Day 2007

2007-08-18T15:19:00.000+01:00

We had rain for much of Fun Day, but that didn't stop everything going ahead. The Village Hall was the centre of activity from early in the morning until late in the evening.

	The childrens sports were held in the field behind the Village Hall, as was the tug-of-war.
	The fell race started and finished at the Village Hall, and the participants - with a few less adults than in previous years but a good number of young runners - made very good time, considering the slippery conditions.
	The entries for the cookery section of the Produce Show were exhibited in the Village Hall, but the two marquees now owned by the village - as a result of what has been raised at previous Fun Days - were erected in the playground, so that the rest of the Produce and Craft show could be set out for everyone to see, in the dry.
	The tombola did brisk business, and the childrens tea was obviously much enjoyed.

A big thank you to everyone who had something to do with the organisation of the day.

These photo collections are available:
> Fun Day - General
> Fell Race
> Scarecrow Festival

Have you got any photos to add? Send them to the webmaster.

Abraham Clegg Cup

2007-08-13T15:02:00.000+01:00

One of the letters sent to DCC described the role that Combs Fun Day plays in the life of the village each summer, and what a valuable asset the Village Hall is, at the centre of all the activity.

This isn't a money-making venture, it's held to bring all of the village together to enjoy themselves. The day involves a produce and craft show, a pet show, childrens' games, competitions, entertainment followed by a childrens' tea, a fell race, and evening entertainment. That's not to mention a bouncy castle, face painting, tombola, and the Miss Combs competition - which isn't the usual beauty pageant, but an opportunity for the village menfolk to dress in their finery!

We're a relatively new Combs family, having been here five years. It's the only home our daughter has known, and we hope that she will start at Combs School in 2009.

Each year we've entered various Fun Day competitions, and in 2006 we took home the Abraham Clegg Memorial Challenge Cup, narrowly beating the previous 2005 winners, who'd also won in 1999, 2002 and 2003.

The cup is a valuable part of the history of the village. It is 90 years old this year, and in its early years it was awarded to the winner of the Combs Agricultural Society Show. Abraham Clegg founded the Society in 1917.

Combs Fun Day has evolved over the years - I don't think bouncy castles were around in 1917 - and now it's about families and friends getting together to organise and enjoy the day.

What has remained consistent is the community spirit, and the venue - the Village Hall. It would be devastating if this hub of our community was closed, and our family's name was the last to be engraved on the cup.

Please remember that by considering the closure of Combs Infant School you hold the future of this dynamic and amazing community in your hands. I wonder what Abraham Clegg would have to say about that.

Combs Fun Day is on 18 August. See photos from past years at http://combs.fotopic.net/.

Scarecrows

2007-08-12T14:48:00.000+01:00

Combs Fun Day is next Saturday, and we're keeping our fingers crossed that we don't get a repeat of last year's torrential rain. In any case, there's a full day of events planned, centred on the Village Hall.

This week, scarecrows are starting to appear around the village, as our first Scarecrow Festival gets under way. The theme is "Village Life".

UPDATE 18 Aug 07: Photos of the scarecrows are in this gallery.

Are They Bothered?

2007-08-11T08:00:00.000+01:00

If you've been reading this blog, you'll know that we've invited the DCC Cabinet to come and visit Combs, more than once. We want them to understand, first-hand, the true import of the decision they want to make. After all, if they're going to close down something that's been running with community support since 1865, they're not going to do it without an intimate knowledge of the consequences, are they?

No-one from DCC has accepted our invitations. (We're obviously not counting Alan Charles' uncomfortable appearance at his 'consultation' meeting back in May)

Maybe we're a long way away. Maybe it would be terribly inconvenient.

Well, actually, no Cabinet member lives much more than an hour away. Presumably, to represent the whole county, they're in our area fairly frequently anyway. Aren't they?

A couple of hours to understand what they're dealing with, first-hand. No more than we'd expect from our Councillors, eh?

"The Politics of Envy"

2007-08-10T20:00:00.000+01:00

A villager wrote to DDC to explain his concerns about the way that the proposed closure of Combs School has been handled by the Council.

A Flawed Planning Process

The consultation process, that this letter is a tiny part of, is portrayed by the Council as a fair one: it’s anything but.

The Council began the process by disseminating incomplete and inaccurate information. The School doesn’t cost what the Council said it does; the demand for the School is higher than the Council said it was; the travel patterns in the valley aren’t what the Council said they were; the transfers to other schools after the Infant stage don’t happen as the Council said they did.

The Council has said that they looked at the problem of surplus places for three years before starting this consultation, and yet they didn’t provide ‘the other side’ with fully accurate information at the beginning of the very short consultation period.

Having seen the formal responses being submitted by the School Governors and the Village Hall Trust – and some of the many letters that have been sent to you – I know that you are in receipt of very cogent arguments for why the School should remain open.

I am worried, because I feel that the Council’s proposal is motivated by the politics of envy – “why should people have an excellent rural education for their children when others don’t?” – and the cogency of the arguments put forward in opposition to the Council’s plans will be used against us, serving to reinforce the Council’s prejudiced view of Combs being a privileged area. I sincerely hope that this won’t occur.

In any case, the strength of the arguments won’t be reduced, and the Council’s plan won’t actually produce the results that the Council says that it wants.

Educational Expert Pitches In

2007-08-10T19:00:00.000+01:00

When DCC began this process, they may not have known that the village contains, and has access to, several experts on education. The council's lack of thorough research and proper preparation was perhaps due in part to their underestimation of the people they're dealing with. One such villager, whose university work and research is with an extensive range of teachers, in pursuit of the highest standards in education, wrote to DCC as follows.

In my work, I have never encountered a school which has been awarded 'outstanding' in every category of its Ofsted inspection; I understand that only one other school in Derbyshire received such a grade and there are only 13 others in the whole country. In my view, and in the views of my colleagues, it would, therefore, be a disgrace to close such a beacon of excellence.

The proposed closure of an outstanding school in order to fill places at a satisfactory school does not reflect a commitment to high standards in education which one would hope to find in a county council. Indeed, the policy of Derbyshire County Council contrasts sharply with the commitment of many other councils around the country – including East Anglia and councils in Wales and Yorkshire – who have pledged their support for small schools when confronted by the same issue of surplus primary places.

There is, I think, a myth that the effectiveness of a school is determined by its budget as well as by its size; it has been suggested that Combs Infant School is bound to succeed because of its 'privileged' position. Without doubt, a small rural school will cost more than a larger school but the demographics of a school do not necessarily dictate its success, as evidenced in the publication of 'value-added' school performance league tables. Indeed, if this were the case then Derbyshire would boast an inordinately large number of outstanding schools – given the predominance of small rural schools – but this is not the case.

School Campaigners' Plea

2007-08-09T10:00:00.000+01:00

The Buxton Advertiser continues to cover the campaign. This brief article by Louise Bellicoso appeared in today's issue.

VILLAGERS fighting to save an outstanding school from closure have sent a desperate plea to county councillors.

Parents and governors of Combs Infant School have sent a letter to each member of Derbyshire County Council's cabinet as the authority consider their proposal to close the school.

The document outlines the case put forward by the villagers for keeping the school open, as Derbyshire County Council try to cut the number of surplus places in the county's schools.

But parents have hit back at the reasons the council put forward for closure and said in the document: "Combs Infant School currently stands as a symbol of the triumph of Derbyshire County Council's defence of rural communities and a shining example of partnership — promoting cohesion and excellence.

"Please ensure its survival by speaking up for local success and voting against a proposal that saves next to nothing, sacks hardworking staff, and lifts mediocrity above the level of real achievement in Derbyshire."

A campaign organised by parents and governors has included meeting with High Peak MP Tom Levitt, taking part in Chapel Carnival and creating an online petition.

A decision is due to be made later in the year.

For details of the document sent to DCC, entitled "Our Plea", see this post.

Our Rural Lives

2007-08-07T08:06:00.000+01:00

Continuing with excerpts from letters sent to DCC, here are a couple that talk about life in Combs.

Our village of Combs is bouyant and thriving. We have many families here; many trace back over decades and the newer residents are here because it is family orientated. We are a mix of economies and not all are wealthy financially, but we are wealthy in spirit because of the village life that exists here. The one thing we all hold dear, regardless of income, is the fact that we have a brilliant school and we all support it. As a village of families, children, parents and grandparents, many other aspects of village life flourish here too.

Please don't destroy that.

For those outside the area who don't know what our rural community looks like, here is a photo of Combs valley, looking south from Eccles Pike. The village of Combs is just beyond the lake, hidden by trees. Click on the photo for a larger view.

Back to the letters.

I feel that it is morally wrong to contemplate this closure. Combs is a lively little village, with an excellent school and a very good community spirit, with thriving clubs and groups using the Hall.

To force the closure of the School and Hall would remove the heart from the community. There are too many dying villages in our country, and this closure will add to that number. It is wrong, morally wrong, to merely look at the bottom line of accounts and say, "We cannot afford it". Excellence today is in short supply, and a closure would add to the deficit.

Therefore I urgently ask you to take into account the feelings of a united community, and allow our village to continue to thrive and prosper as it is doing.

If you haven't already made your feelings known to DCC, find out who to write to.

Support from Neighbouring Schools

2007-08-06T09:00:00.000+01:00

The Chair of Governors at Kettleshulme St James CE Primary School wrote to DDC:

"We have enjoyed a close co-operation with Combs for a long time and over the years a number of children have joined us at Kettleshulme on reaching junior school age. Combs is an excellent school which gives the children a first class start to their school lives.

"It is true that Combs is a small infant school. But it serves a small community and is central to it. Derbyshire is, for the most part, a rural county, so you should understand and cherish the special role which small community institutions (such as a school) play in maintaining the life in a viable country village. In the case of Combs, the school building is also the Village Hall, the future of which is less than certain without the school. For good reasons the Government advises that there should be a presumption against closure of small rural community schools unless there is a compelling case. Is Combs not a good example of the lack of a compelling case?"

This added to what the Chair of Governors at Taxal and Fernilee CE Primary School had already written to DCC:

"While we recognise the financial implications of maintaining a very small school such as Combs we do feel that, as a Governing Body, we want to register our support for the school and opposition to the proposed closure.

"Combs is a small but thriving community and the school forms a vital part of that community. As a larger, but still very much community based school ourselves, we do feel it important that we support other schools in rural communities.

"We understand only too well the financial constraints on the Authority but hope that you can take the wider view of the social implications of the proposed closure."

"Demonstrably Happy"

2007-08-05T09:00:00.000+01:00

People writing in support of the campaign have kindly given the campaign team copies of their letters to DCC. It is a privilege to read what they have said, and over the coming weeks, we'll publish a few excerpts.

It's appropriate to start with a letter from an eight year old.

"When I went to Combs Infant School the teachers were so kind to me and just a few months after I started the school I started to read books with words. So as I started reading so early I love reading and I can read books with more than 100 pages.

"Our school is like a real family where everyone looks after each other and we make sure no-one is ever sad and nobody is bullied."

And at the other end of the age range, a grandparent of three children at the school (past and present) writes:

"Value, not price, needs to be the determining factor and the figures rigorously justified. I am happy to tell Sussex friends that at a Derbyshire infant school pupils learn to read and write before they are five. They can learn French and ball skills. They know about wind and weather. They mix in classless social terms. There is no bullying. They are demonstrably happy.
"It is unbelievable that, to satisfy bureaucratic accountancy, village children will be committed to a six-mile return commute to a giant (by their terms) infant/primary school of significantly lesser attainment. Surely it cannot be the intention of Derbyshire County Council to drive people from country into town, or in to private education?"

How Could They?

2007-08-01T14:15:00.000+01:00

A double-page spread in the Summer 2007 issue of Primary Review begins, "How could they even think of closing this top school?" The article goes on:

TWO MONTHS after a county council used the wrong figures to propose closing a village infants school, the stunned residents and parents are still asking in bewilderment: How could they think of doing this to one of the top schools in the country?

But it was Combs school that was dropped with the bombshell in May that Derbyshire County Council was considering closing it to save costs.

One parent governor says: “When you read the Ofsted report again, it just knocks you off your chair. You wonder if the county council really understands what it is proposing to do.”

The school for five-to-seven-year-olds has been so successful under headteacher Avis Curry that it is the main reason many newcomers choose to live in the area or only a short drive away. Three-fifths of the pupils travel from other school ‘catchment’ areas. One mother from Chinley says: “This school is perfect for my little girl. I can’t believe the difference it has made to her.”

Mrs Curry, who mentors other schools in the county, was recently chosen as one of eight heads throughout the UK to visit Rwanda in central Africa to mentor schools there for 12 weeks.

A father who brings his daughter from Chapel to Combs says: “It doesn’t make any sense at all to close this particular school. Surely this is the one school in the county that should be kept going as a flagship for others to follow.”

The council’s case, outlined in its ‘discussion document’ in May, said quite simply that in the last financial year the council budgeted £136,000 for the school, a cost of £5,400 per infant against the county average of £2,600. It accepts that rural schools cost more, and the Government provides a special payment for Combs of £49,000. The county says: “A key consideration is that of equity between schools. To fund one school at such significant and high levels must be seen as diverting funds from the good of the many to the benefit of the few.”

The school was given fewer than two months to create its case for staying open – then the county appeared to shoot itself in the foot. Barely a week from the 6th July deadline for a response, the county’s own figures for the last financial year were announced, showing that the school actually cost only £105,000. It had underspent by £31,000, making the average cost per child only £4,000. In addition, Combs had underspent by significant amounts for the last three years – and as each underspend can be carried over to the following year with interest, the total surplus in Combs’ favour is now £69,000. A county letter arriving at the school asked them to explain the 47% underspend.

So would the county relent in face of the new figures?

Says chairman of the governors Nye Rowlands: “We have a brilliant headteacher who is extremely cautious before spending any money at all, and we have entrepreneurial parents who raise fantastic amounts of money. We haven’t spent £69,000 allotted to us and the real unit cost per child is probably the cheapest rural school in the county and probably much cheaper than many schools nationwide. The county needs to have a completely new look at our situation.”

An important factor for the village is that the two-classroom school is held in a building at the centre of village life. Leased from the Methodist Church by the Village Hall Trust, it is also used for Brownies, community meetings, after-school clubs, the village fun day, church services, weddings, baptisms, the sewing circle, children’s parties and as a polling station. If the rent from the county council dries up, there are serious worries for the continued viability of the building.

Parent governor Steve Lyons says: “No one from the county has come to us and said with understanding ‘Look, this is a great school but how can we cut the costs?’ If they had, we would have been more than prepared to seek ways of doing so. They have simply looked at a map of schools and surplus places with no regard for quality.”

Last spring, when Primary Review carried a feature on the wealth of activity available to children in village schools such as Combs, Mrs Curry, who has taught in Africa, Saudi Arabia and the USA, said: “Ofsted requires that a child is educated to be able to prosper economically in the future. Some parents feel that’s the job of secondary schools but I say it starts here. Economic success starts in infant school. In our structure and closer environment, we give them more so they leave with more.”

One thing is sure: Even if the school is granted a reprieve on the basis of its own extraordinary spending restraint, parents and villagers will still be asking for years to come: How could they ever have thought of closing it?

Decision Will Be Delayed

2007-07-27T16:39:00.000+01:00

Dee Hill at DCC has just told us that there is a lot of material for her to review and compile into a report to the Cabinet.

There are over 200 letters and e-mails to go through, in addition to the lengthy documents submitted by the school governors and the Village Hall Trust.

So the report won't be ready for review by the Cabinet on 4 September, as previously planned.

The Cabinet meeting will most likely be held in October. We'll let you know when a date is fixed, because we know there are people who plan to attend.

Our Plea

2007-07-25T17:00:00.000+01:00

Knowing that it will be a long time before the DCC Cabinet reads the full report on Combs School, we wanted them to have the main points of the argument to think about over the summer.

Nye Rowlands, chair of the school governors, has sent a document entitled "Our Plea" to all the Cabinet members today.

They will have no excuse for not understanding the facts, when it comes to decision time.

Nye's document begins:

The Governors and Parents of Combs Infant School have been extremely concerned about the lack of dialogue between ourselves and the County Council during this informal stage of the consultation process.

There have been many issues and misconceptions to be dealt with but, since the evening of May 22nd 2007, there has been an ominous silence on the part of the County.

Nobody has responded to our invitations to visit us, so we hope you will read this appeal to keep our school open as we summarise the case we have thoroughly prepared.

After summarising the many faults in DCC's case, and the strong evidence that supports the preservation of Combs School, Nye's document ends like this:

Combs is among the top 3% of all infant schools nationally so why sack the staff in July 2008?
The dedicated staff ensure that all pupils reach their potential without recourse to enhanced resource bases or extra expenditure. This is a model for all other Derbyshire schools.
The village of Combs depends on the partnership of School, Village Hall and Church - a partnership which is vital to the survival of this rural community. This plea is supported by all the local councils, residents and the Peak National Park. Closing the school removes the village hall and the focus of the community.
Unlike Stoney Middleton, Combs is to be denied access to an adjudicator and the parents will be forced to appeal through the potentially expensive process of judicial review — this despite the fact that the decision to propose closure was made before the 2006 Education Act came into force.
Governors and parents have proved conclusively that Derbyshire has not followed the statutory guidance laid down in that Act nor have they followed their own school reorganisation procedures.
We believe the true saving per annum of destroying a community and closing an outstanding school providing “outstanding value for money” (OfSTED 2006) is less than £20,000 per annum, if that.
Combs Infant School currently stands as a symbol of the triumph of Derbyshire County Council’s defence of rural communities and a shining example of partnership — promoting cohesion and excellence.
Please ensure its survival by speaking up for local success and voting against a proposal that saves next to nothing, sacks hardworking staff, and lifts mediocrity above the level of real achievement in Derbyshire.

You can download a copy of the full document(101k, PDF format).

The Fight Goes On: School Barbecue and DVD Release

2007-07-19T07:00:00.000+01:00

The following press release was issued today:

The two month public consultation period regarding the closure of Combs Infant School may have ended on 6th July but the parents and villagers are keeping up the fight. Just as over 200 people came to the public consultation meeting on 22nd May to show their support for the school and village hall, the school Summer Barbecue was similarly well-attended.

Despite a damp start and threatening rain clouds throughout, parents past present and future, villagers, and friends of the school enjoyed the food, stalls and games and the display of traditional Maypole dancing given by the children. A sense of family prevailed as a former teacher – who also assists with the Brownie Pack - and ex-pupils all helped staff and parents to make the evening a great success. Many of the raffle prizes were contributed by local businesses including Waitrose, Toni & Guy, Morrisons and Simply Beauty in Chapel. Thanks to the efforts of everyone involved and the ever-present community spirit, a total of £631 was raised. Parent-Governor Nick Boden commented, ‘This is a fantastic result, particularly after the upheaval of recent weeks.’

Thanks to another community effort*, a DVD has now been produced entitled ‘Save Combs School’. It encapsulates the nature of the school and village and the reasons why the school should not be closed – namely, the quality of education that it offers and its irreplaceable importance to the history, infrastructure and spirit of the community of Combs. The DVD was sent out this morning to all the County Councillors, including the members of the Cabinet who will be deciding the fate of Combs Infant School at the end of the summer. Copies are available – please contact the school on 01298 813120 for more details.

Meanwhile, the campaign effort continues, with support being pledged from far beyond the immediate village community**.

-- ends --

Further information:
Carah Boden, Save Combs School Campaign
Tel: 01298 813140

* The production of the DVD was kindly organised and sponsored by locally based Plain English Campaign.

** There's still time for you to add your name to the online petition.

Peak District Park AuthorityConcerned by Impact on Community

2007-07-12T18:37:00.000+01:00

Jim Dixon, the Chief Executive of the Peak District National Park Authority, has written to DCC to express the Authority's concerns over the proposed closure of Combs School, with the knock-on threat to the Village Hall and Chapel.

Mr. Dixon's letter says, "We feel that the muti-use of one building for a school, village hall and community church at Combs is an excellent example of partnership community use and are concerned that the proposed school closure should not threaten the financial viability of the community facility."

You can view the letter here (PDF format).

At the Mercy of Politicians

2007-07-12T16:20:00.000+01:00

The following letter from the Chair of Governors at Combs Infant School appeared in today's Buxton Advertiser.

I think Sue Oliver's letter* to your newspaper last week was correct and the governors of Combs Infant School value the close working relationship and the professionalism of all the schools in this area.

The final date for comment on the initial proposal has now passed and I must pay tribute to the fantastic campaign that has been waged by everybody in the Combs community, from the parents at the school to all those people who value the village hall and the church as a focal point.

We have proved that the village depends on a robust partnership of school and Village Hall Trust, the latter rescuing the school by raising money to repair the church and later to provide excellent classroom and toilet facilities through contributions and a successful bid to the Lottery Fund.

There is no doubt all this will be swept away if the school closes.

We now have the actual figures, proving that the cost of running the school** last year is far lower than the cost put forward by Councillor Alan Charles, down from £5,447 to £4,059. Central Government and local government all agree that it costs more to run a rural school than an urban school but these figures show that Combs Infant School costs a lot less than most rural schools, again thanks to the contributions from the local community.

Nearly all the children come from less than three miles away from the school and parents have carried out a survey proving that there will be at least 37 children of pre-school age in the natural recruiting area in the next four years.

Parents are angry and concerned because they believe they have the right to choose four to seven schools for their children and that is the policy of the present government in Westminster.

Combs Infant School is now at the mercy of the politicians who run the county.

All the local authorities and organisations we know about in the High Peak have pledged support for the school.

It is not a party political issue and all three major parties in the area have asked the County Council to reconsider their proposal.

The statutory guidance published alongside the 2006 Education Act has not been followed so far and the Council seems to have ignored even their own guidelines in school re-organisation, so we move to the decision in the hope that they will realise this when they study the case for Combs in detail and vote overwhelmingly to retain this outstanding school which is in the top three per cent of infant schools nationally.

Nye Rowlands
Chair of Governors
Combs Infant School

* Ms Oliver's letter to the Buxton Advertiser, which appeared in the 5 July edition, can be read here.

** These costs are, of course, cost-per-pupil.

Thank You, Letter Writers!

2007-07-10T10:00:00.000+01:00

Just received this message from the school:

"Please put a message on the web site with a thank you from all the staff for the overwhelming support we have had with the letter writing. If DCC read all the comments there is no way they can proceed with this stupid idea!"

High Peak Borough Council:Their Response to DCC In Full

2007-07-09T17:36:00.000+01:00

Here is the reponse to DCC from High Peak Borough Council, following the meeting that we reported earlier.

RESPONSE TO DCC CONSULTATION ON CLOSURE OF COMBS SCHOOL

Following a full debate of the Social Inclusion Select Committee of High Peak Borough Council on Monday 25th June 2007 I set out below the official response of the High Peak Borough Council.

The infants school at Combs is an outstanding school as described by the latest Ofsted inspection. The closure of it would be detrimental in many ways.

It would result in upheaval for many children and parents not just in the short term during the closure, but on an ongoing basis as parents, children and yourself as the Authority would be faced with logistical problems of getting the children to and from alternative schools. This would also have an impact in environmental terms, as car journeys, bus transport would all have to increase.

Whilst you quote various cost implications, Members felt that these were unsustainable, due to the figures being distorted by such things as the level of Small School Protection Funding enjoyed by Combs school, which creates an artificial impression that Combs does not offer the same value for money as other schools across Derbyshire.

Members felt that the closure of the school would have impacts beyond the educational ones in terms of community facilities for the village of Combs. The placement of the school within the village hall underpins the very existence of the hall and its use by the community. It is highly likely that this would be lost as a result of any school closure thereby having a wider detrimental effect on the village of Combs and also the local groups that use the Hall.

In summary, the Council would like to reinforce the following observations

We cannot support the closure of an Ofsted rated ‘outstanding’ school, resulting in the possibility of High Peak children being displaced to schools further away and not of their choice. This is in direct conflict with any ‘choice’ agenda

It is not proven that the closure will in any way help to reduce the surplus places at Chapel school, on the contrary the case has been made that it will have no effect on the problem

It is highly likely that the closure of the school will result in the eventual loss of the only remaining community facility in the village of Combs

The loss of the facility would then go on to threaten the existence of other local community Groups

The financial reasoning is inconsistent, vague and therefore not justifiable

The impact on traffic would result in greater CO2 emissions through increased journeys, or alternatively result in the possibility of children being forced to into unacceptable waiting times for transport to and from school

There is a presumption against closure of rural schools and the case for such a closure should be strong. We believe that the case is not strong
In conclusion, the Council strongly opposes the proposal to close Combs Infant School and urges Derbyshire County Council to retain and support the school.

Yours sincerely

Councillor Andrew Bingham
Member of the Executive

So, What Happens Now?

2007-07-06T08:00:00.000+01:00

It's 6 July, the deadline for getting letters and e-mails of opposition to DCC. We know that a lot of letters have gone in, as people have been kind enough to send us copies. The letters have been impressive, both for the depth of analysis and their passionate defence of Combs School, Village Hall and Chapel.

The two big reports, from the Village Hall Trust and the School Governors, have been submitted. And the petition has been submitted too.

Mrs. Dee Hill (pictured at the end of a cold evening, during the consultation meeting back in May) is the Senior Assistant Education Officer at DCC who now has the task of compiling a report. It will make use of all the input she has received, and go to DCC's Cabinet for review, probably on 4 September.

Dee has been very thorough in answering the questions we have bombarded her with from many directions, so thank you to her. We also appreciate the assistance given to us by several other members of staff at the Council.

This campaign has been exhausting and has consumed large portions of the lives of people who were already busy before this began. A big thank you to everyone who has been involved.

It's time to draw breath. But the campaign is far from over.

You may want to refer back to 'The Legal Framework' for an explanation of the steps in the process.

"The Heart of Our Village"

2007-07-06T07:30:00.000+01:00

Excerpts from a letter to DCC written by a Combs parent.

It was with great sadness that I heard of the Council’s proposal to close Combs Infant School. This wonderful school in the heart of our village has stood the test of time for many years. Not only have my children attended, but also myself and my husband, our brothers and sisters and even our parents at some point over the last 80 years. Not only is this under threat but so is our Village Hall which runs hand in hand with the school providing venues for numerous village functions and community groups.
---
As far as funding is concerned, Combs School is eligible for Isolated Rural School Status which was put into place to ensure that small community schools such as this could survive. No extra funding for special needs cases is needed at Combs although they cater for and nurture the needs of many who would fall behind in mainstream school. As a small village we get a poor return for our council tax compared to many local towns with council funded facilities, some of this should surely go towards keeping our own village school alive.

Derbyshire County Council has been seen to spend vast amounts of money on other things which some people would deem far less important. Whitehall Outdoor Pursuits Centre has had a small fortune spent on it over the last few years, with a new house built in the grounds for the Principal which lies empty now after just two years of use, and a huge new conservatory just finished. This is not to mention the amount of money spent on the upkeep of such a large building including staffing, heating and maintenance costs when it lies empty for weeks. This facility is for recreational or ‘extra curriculum’ activities for children from this, and also many surrounding areas. Would it not make more sense to spend our council’s money on our own children, for basic good education? It seems a shame that the goal is to drag a few children’s standards of education down, rather than lift many children’s education to a higher level.

The Ofsted report on Combs School stated that it was ‘outstanding’ - not just good, outstanding. This shows in the children who pass through this school in their early years. They come out well behaved, soundly educated, and with excellent moral values which experience has shown cannot be taught as well in a larger environment. I am saddened to see that in the present climate with worse things going off in the world, and getting closer every day, that we cannot seem to see past the facts and figures. You only had to look around at the public meeting in May to see what I am talking about, the idyllic setting of the school yard, the genuine concern of all the supporters, the wonderful building which we as a village are all fortunate to use and the children playing happily, oblivious to the threats that this could all be taken away from them.

Children need only two things in life in order to progress and succeed. One is stability and the other is education, both of which are provided in this environment. This is worth more than a few pence per child - it is worth everything. I therefore urge you to support Combs Infant School with its fight to survive.

Use this link to find excerpts from other letters sent to DCC.

Delivery of the Documents

2007-07-05T18:18:00.000+01:00

This is the moment that the Governors' Response document and Petition were handed over to Derbyshire County Council on Wednesday 4th July.

The girls had spent the day at a Healthy Lifestyle Event with Combs school at Derbyshire County Council's Lea Green centre where Alan Charles was spotted in the distance.

Unfortunately, no-one from the Cabinet or the Development Section was available to take the documents from us, so they were given to Bruce Buckley's secretary who forwarded them to Dee Hill.

Protocol meant we were not able to take a picture of the actual hand over.

Governors Submit Report to DCC

2007-07-05T11:37:00.000+01:00

A 43 page report by the Governors of Combs Infant School was handed in to DCC at Matlock yesterday. The Executive Summary is reproduced below.

The Governors of Combs Infant School wish to register the strongest objection to the proposal to close our school and urge Derbyshire County Council, on the basis of national guidelines and on factors specific to this flagship provision, to urgently reconsider what we feel would be an educational and community act of vandalism.

The key matters to be drawn to the attention of DCC are as follows:

The closure of the school will result in a significant impact on the Village Hall and community facilities. Given the nature of the relationship between the School and the Village Hall Trust, there is the very real risk that it will not be possible to maintain the amenity of the Village Hall if Combs School is closed.

There is a healthy ongoing demand for places at Combs School. There is only one year in the next three in which the DCC projected admission numbers fall below the published admission number. In addition we have carried out our own research into the number of local children likely to attend Combs Infant School in the next 4 years.

There are a number of transport issues arising out of the proposed closure of Combs School. Parents have surveyed distances from home to school and have pointed out that journeys would be significantly increased if Combs closed and there would be no viable walking alternative to motor transport. There is no evidence to prove that the closure of Combs Infant School will solve the issue of surplus places at the alternative school originally proposed.

The proposal to Close Combs School does not properly address key areas of the statutory guidance from the Secretary of State that DCC is obliged to take into consideration and is inconsistent with DCC’s Organisation Plan. In particular, in relation to: impact on local standards of educational provision; framework to address surplus school places; presumption against closure of rural schools and sites and the need to consider the alternatives to closure of rural schools and sites; rural school transport implications; rural schools impact on community; faith schools; condition and suitability of buildings; school performance & leadership.

Closure of the school would result in the removal of parental choice contrary to the Schools Admissions Code brought about by the imposition of a catchment area which is outdated and does not reflect realistic lines of communication and transport.

Combs Infant School operates significantly within the formula funding provided by DCC, producing outstanding results and 'outstanding value for money' (OfSted report – 2006). The out turn figures for 2006/7 show efficient and prudent management considerably reducing the unit cost per pupil, providing a surplus underspend and questioning the financial methodology imposed by DCC.

Combs School provides excellent education, receiving an outstanding OfSTED evaluation in 2006. There is statutory imperative for “the best schools to be able to expand and spread their ethos & success”.

We have added 7 appendices to the report to provide further evidence of our case to retain Combs Infant School. Each appendix emphasises and enlarges upon the case we have made in the main body of our submission:

We were asked to provide evidence of potential pupils who will attend Combs Infant School in the next five years.

Detailed research has been carried out into why the proposal to close Combs Infant School is inconsistent with Derbyshire’s own School Organisation Plan.

We are proud of the fact that our campaign to save the school has attracted a very high level of support from a wide range of people, organisations and institutions.

We were asked by DCC to examine the Stoney Middleton case against school closure and we have done so with our comment that the case to retain Combs Infant School is even stronger.

From the outset we have been concerned about the poor quality of the original proposal and the inaccuracies it contained.

We quoted extensively from the correspondence between Tom Levitt MP and County Councillor Alan Charles.

We quoted extensively from the OfSTED Report on Combs Infant School.

PETITION
The submission was supported by the petition, showing the names of the 1687 people who, by the beginning of this week, had signed to record their support for the campaign. (Since the petition was submitted, another 256 names have been added, and there are 173 names on the online petition, so over 2000 people have pledged their support. We'll send the additional names on to DCC.)

Keeping the Campaign Positive

2007-07-05T06:32:00.000+01:00

The following letter was sent earlier this week to the acting Head Teacher and the Chair of Governing Body at Chapel-en-le-Frith Primary School, by the Chairman of Governors at Combs, following a meeting he requested last week.

Ms Leonie Hill
Acting Head Teacher
Chapel-en-le-Frith CE Primary School

Dear Ms Hill

Thank you for seeing Steve Lyons and me on Friday 30th with Sue Oliver.

We were disturbed to hear of the concerns that you both have, together with some of the Chapel-en-le-Frith Primary parents, in relation to our campaign to save Combs Infant School. Throughout our campaign, including in leaflets and in any presentation we have made in a public forum, we have always sought to present facts. These have included Ofsted inspection results. We have specifically sought to avoid creating any tension between our two schools and have received a high level of support from the people of Chapel-en-le-Frith generally.

One could hold the view that the tension you described to us on Friday is exactly what DCC was hoping to achieve by effectively setting our two schools against each other through their emotively cost-focused closure proposal for Combs. To avoid giving DCC this satisfaction and, more importantly, for the good of our local education community, we need to work together to dispel such tension.

Whilst we are pleased to have gained the support of The High Peak Borough Council Social Inclusion and Community Committee, we do appreciate that you and your parents may take issue with some of Cllr David Lomax’s comments as reported (in the Buxton Advertiser on 28 June and reprinted on our campaign web site). Let me assure you that in presenting to the Social Inclusion and Community Committee, we made absolutely no reference to “problems” at Chapel-en-le-Frith Primary School.

Combs Infant and Chapel-en-le-Frith Primary Schools enjoy a strong and cooperative working relationship, including your making available to Combs a number of your facilities. We do not want this relationship jeopardised and, on the assumption that DCC sees sense and determines not to close Combs School, we look forward to continuing to work with you and your school into the future.

Yours sincerely, on behalf of the governors of Combs Infant School,

Nye Rowlands
Chair of Governors

cc: Ms Oliver, Chair of Governors

Ms Oliver's letter to the Buxton Advertiser, which appeared in the 5 July edition, can be read here.

Insight?

2007-07-04T12:26:00.000+01:00

DCC's 'newspaper', Insight, arrived today.

In an article* entitled "Hands up for a new beginning", the Council's proposals for the closure of several schools were described. It reprints misleading and inaccurate information that should, by now, have been corrected.

Here's what was said, followed by our comments.

Proposal

To close Combs Infant School and offer pupils a place at a school in their community. In most cases this would be Chapel-en-le-Frith Primary School.

Why
Combs Infant School has 25 pupils and 15 of those live outside the school catchment area.
It costs £5,447 to educate each pupil compared to a Derbyshire average of £2,635. This means pupils at other schools in Derbyshire get less funding.
It will mean shorter school journeys for many pupils.

Combs School currently has 26 pupils and is 8% over-subscribed. DCC failed to use this number in their calculation of cost-per-pupil.

The 'catchment area' referred to is a 'Normal Area'. DCC are unable to tell us when and how this was defined, and it bears little correspondence to current population and traffic conditions. In fact, since it was defined, some schools have even changed location. In our view, it's an Abnormal Area, used to justify DCC's proposal.

It actually cost substantially less to educate a child in Combs last year, due to the school managing its finances well, and not spending its full budget. The school is given rural small school funding by central government, and that skews any comparison with a non-rural larger school.

Journeys to school for the majority of children will be longer and less safe if they are forced to go to Chapel Primary.

Why won't DCC publish accurate information?

* The article is available online.

How outstanding is "Outstanding"?

2007-07-03T09:34:00.000+01:00

Combs Infant School was given the highest rating in every category, when it was inspected in Autumn 2006 by Ofsted.

Just how unusual is that?

There's only one other infant school in Derbyshire with the same rating, and only thirteen others in the rest of the country.

The Ofsted statistics* show that during the inspection period, Combs Infant School was rated in the top 3% of infant schools in the country.

That's how outstanding an "Outstanding" rating is.

* You can download all the Ofsted statistics, and read the inspection report for Combs Infant School.

Also, please note that additional resources have recently been added to the Research Resources post.

Rhetoric and Reality

2007-07-01T19:22:00.000+01:00

Excerpts from a letter to DCC by a parent governor, entitled "Rhetoric and Reality: the proposal to close Combs Infant School".

This letter is not intended to be a polemic against the DCC or any of its councillors, but simply the personal opinions of one parent who has recently had two children attend Combs Infant School. It is a superb school and I strongly feel that the proposal to close it is ill-timed and ill-judged, and based on a false premise which will in time reflect badly on the DCC and its officers.

To me the whole proposal to close Combs seems at odds with prevailing DCC and central government policy. At the DCC level, for example, Alan Charles made the following bold statement in an October 2005 publication targeted directly at parents:
“The Country Council is proud of its record on educational matters. Despite financial pressures, it remains committed to providing the best possible standards in schools...
With Combs receiving an Ofsted report “outstanding” in all categories in September 2006, one would think that DCC would be bending over backwards to keep the school open as a model for other schools to follow in the county. Instead it seeks to close it, and at the consultative meeting with school governors on 22nd May 2007, Alan Charles confirmed that the DCC had not considered any alternatives to closure.

On what basis does the DCC seek to close the school? One major argument is made on the grounds of “equity” – the per-pupil funding at Combs is reported to be twice that of the county average, and this is seen as “diverting funds from the good of the many to the benefit of the few.” The corollary of this statement is that closure of Combs would result in substantial savings and tangible educational benefits for other children in the county. However, in a letter to Tom Levitt MP of 14 June 2007, Alan Charles admits “Whatever figure is used we would accept that the savings are marginal, especially when calculated in terms of the difference this will make to the funding per child across the County.”

Moreover, what funds are provided to Combs Infants using established budgetary mechanisms do not necessarily equate with what Combs actually spends on an annual basis. Direct comparison of funding levels between schools may not be appropriate if actual spending levels by schools are not also taken into consideration; it was particularly remiss of the DCC not to make this distinction in their analysis, knowing that the level of overall costs is a key argument they are using to justify closure.

Nobody denies that small rural schools cost more to run than larger urban schools which enjoy greater economies of scale. However, this does not imply that Combs children are taking an unfair share of the DCC funds; rather it reflects that special funding is provided by central government specifically to meet the higher costs of running rural schools. In a 1999 publication by a Working Group study on small rural schools that included Councillor Dave Wilcox of the DCC, the Local Government Association seems to have recognised the need for this provision:
Small schools are a small, but necessary part of the education service nationally, and where they exist, they will need adequate funding. The additional cost of small schools has to be accepted by all involved, central and local government, Ofsted and the Audit Commission, and other schools within the authority.
In their conclusion the Working Group remarked:
The small rural school will remain an important part of educational provision within rural communities. This has been recognized at the national level. High educational standards and value for money are important - however, a local school fulfils other important requirements, including the social development of children and contributing to community sustainability.
The added value of Combs – the fact that it is not just a very good school but is also a village hall, community centre and chapel was obviously understood and appreciated by the Ofsted inspector who described Combs as offering "outstanding value for money."

...

Another related key issue for DCC is the concept of “normal area” as it relates to Combs Infants, and it has repeatedly pointed to the fact that many children attending the school actually live outside the immediate Combs area. What is the significance of this fact? Its significance lies in the implicit argument that Combs is responsible for enticing away a number of parents who would otherwise be quite happy to fill those “surplus places” in other schools such as Chapel Primary. In his letter to Tom Levitt already referred to, Alan Charles goes as far as saying, “As I said clearly at the public meeting [at Combs on 22nd May] we would not be proposing the closure of this school if it was genuinely providing an education for children living in the normal area.”

In fact “normal areas” were developed as a wholly arbitrary division many years ago, and have never been revised to meet community needs and parental choice, or to reflect changing demographic trends. Up to the mid-1990s the loss of the remaining shops, local industry and post office at Combs had left the village an economic backwater of Chapel en le Frith, with an ageing population and few children of school-going age. Since then however the refurbishment and extension of the Chapel building and Village Hall by the community, and the growing reputation of the Infant School as a centre of excellence started to attract younger families to move there, breathing new life and hope into what had become a picturesque but economically declining village. Other parents from Chapel and other nearby towns were also attracted by the greater pastoral care offered by smaller class sizes and the high standard of education.

That Combs school has been able to satisfy the educational needs of the local community in the normal area, and extend or expand this provision to other surrounding areas is surely something to be commended rather than condemned. Tony Blair said as much in 2004 in the following statement which is particularly appropriate to the situation now faced by Combs:
“You cannot say that good schools are unable to expand simply because you have got surplus places elsewhere when the surplus places elsewhere may be in a school that is not up to standard. We have a very simple choice on this, if you like. We either say that in no circumstances is that good school going to be able to expand, even though it could expand and wants to, because there are surplus places at a school that someone does not want to send their children to. I am sorry, in the end that is not acceptable. We have to make sure that we are not simply allowing the good school to expand but we are also taking measures to deal with the school that is not up to scratch.”
The lessons to be learnt seem clear: first, to ensure Combs Infants remains open as a flagship school for the County; secondly, mechanisms should be put into place to enable Combs to extend or expand its provision, its talents and its ethos to other schools in the area. Thirdly, meetings between the DCC, Combs staff and governors should be held to discuss budgetary issues and to ensure that funds provided reflect actual needs - and that these revised figures are used in all discussions and publications where a cost comparison is made with other schools.

I have suggested in this letter that the basic premise on which the original proposal for closure was based is seriously flawed; cost comparisons with other schools were not accurate, savings from any closure would be insignificant and surplus places at Chapel Primary would not be filled. Closure on the basis of “equity” would reduce overall educational standards and deny many children - not only in Combs, but in Chapel and elsewhere - some excellent educational opportunities in the most formative years of their lives; it would reduce parental choice. Finally, the closure of Combs can never be justified on ideological grounds alone because the education policies of all major political parties seek to improve standards and widen parental choice, not diminish it.

Download a copy of the full letter.

"Government Strategy Is Keeping Rural Schools Alive"

2007-07-01T14:00:00.000+01:00

That quote referenced in an earlier post came from Jacqui Smith, the now Home Secretary, when she was Schools Minister. On 9 May 2000, she was reported thus:

Government Strategy Is Keeping Rural Schools Alive

Schools Minister Jacqui Smith said today that Government support for rural schools has kept many of them open in rural villages which would otherwise have closed. It is right she said, to put the interests of the village before those of the planner.

Speaking at a Local Government Association Conference she said: "With the strict new guidelines we introduced two years ago, we have reduced the rate of closure of rural schools to an eighth of what it was 10 years ago and got the number of closures down from 30 a year to a current average of four a year.

"These figures clearly demonstrate our commitment to retaining schools at the heart of rural communities. Between 1983 and the beginning of 1998 there were 450 closures of rural schools - some of them tearing the heart out of local communities and villages. This is not acceptable and that is why we have made it much harder to close down the schools."

"Today we welcome the willingness of the Local Government Association (LGA) to encourage greater community use of rural schools as a practical way forward. This will ensure rural schools become a genuine asset to the whole community.

"The Small School Support Fund will from September provide £40 million for small schools in England over two years. Many rural schools have less than 200 pupils and these will benefit from the money. It will allow them to address their own individual circumstances, develop productive partnerships with other schools and raise standards.

"We are listening to all parties in the debate about rural education. In 1996 21 rural school closures were approved and in 1995 the figure was 47. Now approvals for rural closures are only given in exceptional circumstances where numbers have dwindled, there is a nearby clear alternative and where there will not be a significant effect on the local community.

"Rural schools are often the lifeblood of local communities. I know there are difficult decisions which local authorities have to take. But in the case of village schools, we were right to put the village before the planner.

...

* The school extra grants from the Budget will particularly help small rural schools with £3,000 for every primary with fewer than 100 pupils and £30,000 for secondaries with fewer than 600 pupils;

* £80 million of new money is being made available under the Standards Fund between 1999-2001 specifically to tackle administrative overload in small schools. As a result, professional teaching staff will have more time to spend on activities which directly improve pupil attainment;

...

"Working together there is much we can do to support rural communities - and schools which are at the heart of them. We have achieved a lot to date with our new approach and I am confident that the guidance we have produced ensures that this presumption in favour of rural schools continues in the future."

That's a strong commitment to making schools like Combs Infant School flourish - just as the people of Combs want it to. And it's still the government's policy.

"Tearing the Heart Out"

2007-06-30T15:54:00.000+01:00

We're watching the shuffling of people in and out of Gordon Brown's* Cabinet with interest. Alan Johnson, previously responsible for schools, has been superseded by Ed Balls, in the post of Schools and Children Secretary.

"It is a great honour and a great responsibility to be the first ever Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families. Children and families are the bedrock of our society and for the first time this new department will bring together all aspects of policy affecting children and young people.

"Every parent wants their child to get the best possible start in life and have the best chance to do well in school. Our responsibility will be to support families and ensure that all children and young people are safe and healthy, that they secure the highest standards of achievements, that they enjoy their childhood..."

That sounds like he'll want to support our campaign, doesn't it? We've written to Mr. Balls**, to see whether he'll take more interest in the threat to an excellent rural school than Mr. Johnson did. While we wait to hear back from Mr. Balls, here's something a colleague in the new Cabinet said a while ago.

"Rural schools are often the lifeblood of local communities.

"I know there are difficult decisions which local authorities have to take. But in the case of village schools, we were right to put the village before the planner.

"Between 1983 and the beginning of 1998 there were 450 closures of rural schools - some of them tearing the heart out of local communities and villages. This is not acceptable and that is why we have made it much harder to close down the schools."

Who said that? Answers in the comments, please.

* We still haven't heard back from Gordon Brown's office. Perhaps he's been busy.
** Ed Balls' contact details are here.

Petition - A Quick Update

2007-06-30T06:50:00.000+01:00

So far, 1687 people have signed the paper petition, in opposition to the closure of Combs School, Village Hall and Chapel. 168 people have signed the online petition - they're mostly people outside the area who want to support the campaign but can't sign the paper petition.

We'll submit the signatures we've collected so far, as part of the submission that the school governors will make to DCC before 6 July. But we'll let the petition carry on collecting signatures after that.

The Value of Small Rural Infant Schools

2007-06-29T14:02:00.000+01:00

There are plenty of young children in and around Combs who are waiting to take their rightful place in the infant school in the valley where they were born. There are expectant mothers. There are houses for sale which may be filled with families with young children. There are people nearby who seek the nurturing, peaceful, beautiful environment of Combs as the place where their little ones begin their educational life amongst a group of children their own age in a safe, secure environment. It could not be a better start.

Instead of shutting down small rural infant schools like this, Derbyshire County Council – and Councils across Britain – should be actively promoting their continuance. After all, that was what the protection fund for small rural schools was all about in the first place, wasn’t it? And when that school delivers the educational goods while not even spending all of the money it is given, then surely there is something wrong with the system, not the school? Our children should not be paying the price for formula funding that clearly needs to be looked at again.

If there is inequity of provision in the county of Derbyshire the blame lies with the people who devised the formula. Surely it would make more sense to revise this before they go round shutting down small rural schools like Combs whose only sin is to serve their community by providing excellent all-round education and superb value for money. As globalisation comes a cropper and the business world starts to understand that big is not always beautiful, Combs Infant School is a model for the way in which smaller entities can be better managed, better controlled and therefore produce the goods more efficiently and consistently than their larger counterparts.

Combs Infant School is the ONLY infant school in the area – let alone the only small, rural, non-denominational infant school. With children starting school so young in this country compared to our European (and American) brethren, an infant school provides these young children with an environment which does not scare them. There are not hoards of older children to intimidate them. They do not get lost at the back of a large class. They grow, they thrive in this environment. They get the very best start with secure literacy and numeracy skills (a government core objective) and the confidence to move on easily to the next stage of their learning. This is an active choice for many parents.

In a democracy, we should not have that choice so casually taken away. And the Exchequer should be reminded that social and educational failure amongst the young is very expensive…Alistair Darling, are you listening?

'Misjudgment' on Combs School

2007-06-29T13:30:00.000+01:00

From this week's Buxton Advertiser, reported by Louise Bellicoso.

HIGH PEAK borough councillors have agreed not to support a county council proposal to close Combs Infant School.

The unanimous decision was made by members of the Social Inclusion and Community committee at their meeting on Monday night after they heard presentations from the county council and representatives of the campaign group fighting to stop the suggested closure.

Dee Hill, Senior Assistant Education Officer for planning in the development team at Derbyshire County council, said: "We appreciate that in proposing a school closure we are proposing something very sensitive and very emotive.

"With the proposal to close Combs Infant School what we are looking at is really the issue of surplus places within the area of Chapel and particularly at Chapel Primary School as well as analysing attendance at local schools from within the normal area."

Parent Governor Nick Boden told the meeting: "Combs is a really remarkable school and the findings of the last Ofsted report bear that out.

"That puts us in the top ten per cent of schools in the country."

Shutting the school to save money would supposedly allow cash to be spent in other areas, but he said: "Small schools and very small schools do get some protective funding and the amount given to Combs is £49,000. We accept that it costs more to run a school in rural circumstances.

"Combs Infant School is actually under threat because of the very funding allocated to look after the interests of a small school."

He added: "We believe that DCC (Derbyshire County Council) has misjudged the strength of community spirit in Combs and the historical significance of the village."

Cllr David Lomax, in proposing that High Peak Borough Council do not support the county council's proposal to close Combs Infant School, said: "It would certainly have an impact on the community in general and clearly it is not as if it would necessarily mean young children who go to school there would move on to Chapel school and help with their problems* (through increased funding).

"I think it is strange that we are here talking about closing one of our successful schools.

"It is at the heart of the village and it would have a bigger impact than just the school itself.

* Note: Cllr Lomax was referring to the 'problem' of surplus places, as defined by DCC.

Combs – A Community with Spirit

2007-06-29T13:10:00.000+01:00

DCC has not covered itself in glory while researching Combs Infant School and village. It is suffering from a lot of misconceptions about the nature of Combs Village and Valley and the strong community spirit that thrives here.

In the mid-sixties, Marguerite Bellhouse, long-term resident of Combs, wrote an in-depth book about the village. Only last winter this book was reprinted by popular demand from a whole new generation of Combs residents. This is the nature of Combs. It has an incredibly strong identity and a tremendous sense of place, neither of which should be underestimated or treated so casually by Derbyshire County Council who insist on believing it is a community of relatively wealthy middle class commuters driving 4x4s and enjoying a village school where the children get the equivalent of a private education at the cost of other children in Derbyshire.

The geology and geography of Combs is one of the key things that gives the village this strong sense of place (and if residents have 4x4's it's usually because they need one to work their land or get to their houses in our harsh winters). Combs takes its name from the horseshoe of gritstone hills that embrace it at the south, east and westerly end of the valley. This ‘glacial hollow’ opens out at the northern end until cut off by the hills of Eccles Pike. The first record of a settlement in this valley was in the 13th century but the history stretches back much further – there is an iron age fort (possibly earlier) at Castle Naze and the Romans undoubltedly passed through here as did the Saxons. ‘Cum’ in Saxon means ‘Curved Ground’ and ‘Cumbas’ means valley – likely derivations for the name of the village and placing it firmly in its geographical setting.

The main industry in Combs, until recent times, has been farming, but there has also been a brewery, a mill, weaving, quarrying and smithies. There have been a number of shops in different buildings around the village over the years, sometimes doubling up as a post office. The last one closed over 10 years ago. The last dairy herd was sold three years ago. There is still a milk round. There is still sheep farming and a small beef herd and one of the farmers has diversified into hanging baskets. The Beehive pub thrives, but increasingly with visitors from all around as it offers good dining. If the school, village hall and chapel were to go, the pub would be the only amenity left in the village. There is a small playground in the corner of a field next to the school courtesy of the Village Hall Trust and the funds raised from the Combs Fun Day every August. The publican donated his old outside tables when he bought new ones for the pub so that parents can sit and watch their children play. This playground is full of the sound of happy children’s voices at the end of school, and would undoubtedly be a quieter, sadder place if the school were to shut.

But this is my point. Combs is a relatively rare commodity these days in a world where the countryside has become the town’s toy and many villages have lost control of their own affairs. Despite the squeeze put on small farmers, despite the loss of a shop and post office, the village still has heart. The community pulls together to keep the spirit alive. The school, village hall and chapel exist because of the will and dedication of the residents of Combs. We intend to keep it that way.

DCC Receives Village Hall Trust's Report

2007-06-28T10:00:00.000+01:00

The Trustees of Combs Village Hall Trust have sent their report to DCC. Subtitled "Material adverse effect on the village community caused by the closure of Combs School", their submission tells the story of the support the community has provided over many years. It details the threat posed to the Village Hall by the intended closure of the school.

You can download a full copy of the report (1.2Mb Acrobat file).

Falling School Rolls?

2007-06-28T08:00:00.000+01:00

You can prove anything with statistics, or so it's said.

DCC have said that, as school rolls are falling, that puts the continuing need for Combs School in question. Their projection for pupils on the school roll is:

2007: 25
2008: 24
2009: 21
2010: 24
2011: 23

That doesn't look much like a dramatic fall, does it? In any case, it's inaccurate. We've surveyed the area to find out the correct figures.

DCC's comment about the model they use is, "The Pupil Projection Model produces base figures and does not take into account local circumstances that may affect the pupil population at each school."

So there must be some margin of error involved, but it's not stated. Bad statistics?

We'll be giving DCC an account of the local circumstances, so that their projection of the school roll can be corrected.

How Sophisticated Was DCC's Analysis?

2007-06-27T12:48:00.000+01:00

Remember the 'more sophisticated analysis' done by DCC, that Alan Charles referred to in his letter to Tom Levitt?

Well, we think DCC needs to get more sophisticated still.

They claim that spending on Combs School is £136,181 per annum, but the actual spend in the last financial year was £105,528.06. That's a huge difference in the average cost per pupil - a key figure in DCC's proposal.

That's not all. Because Combs School has been under-spending, an accumulated surplus - money that was available to the school but which wasn't spent - of close to £70,000 is sitting in a DCC bank account, gathering interest. DCC wrote to tell us about it.

So, DCC appears to have been fattening up Combs School like a Christmas turkey, ready for the chop.

Chairman of the Governors, Nye Rowlands, commented, "Despite under-spending, OfSTED still called the school 'outstanding value for money', and had no reservations about either the accommodation or the resources. So where does the fault lie? Should the school be closed when the proposal from DCC is based on budget formulae that are out of line with the real situation? And shouldn't there have been an opportunity to discuss this before the axe was raised?"

We Talk to High Peak Borough Council

2007-06-25T20:00:00.000+01:00

Councillor Andrew Bingham invited us to address the Social Inclusion and Community Select Committee this evening. He is responsible, on the executive of High Peak Borough Council, for Social and Community Development, and for responding to Derbyshire County Council on their proposal to close Combs Infant School.

Mr. Bingham has already expressed his personal opinion on DCC's plans, but wants to give the Borough Council's formal response having gathered the opinions of other councillors in a public and transparent way.

Newly elected chair of the committee, Councillor Linda Baldry, first asked Dee Hill, from DCC, to explain DCC's proposal. Mrs. Hill, as Senior Assistant Education Officer in the Development section of DCC, is reponsible for the statistical analysis of the provision of school places. She explained that DCC is trying to reduce surplus places in the wider Chapel-en-le-Frith area by closing Combs School, and providing pupils who would have gone there with places at Chapel Primary.

It was then time for parent-governor Nick Boden to give a short, fact-packed presentation*, in which he analysed why DCC's plan should not go ahead.

Councillors asked questions of Dee Hill, but none of Nick, merely commenting that his was a "fantastic presentation".

Councillor Baldry asked for comments, and several councillors indicated their opposition to the proposed school closure. Councillor David Lomax spoke at some length, "We should have choice between schools. We need the variety of schools that we have, including small rural ones. What will be next? If other schools are above the average cost, does that mean that they will also be threatened? Closing Combs School would certainly have a detrimental impact on the community life of the area, and it's clear that the closure is very unlikely to help with the issue of surplus places in Chapel. I can see no reason for Derbyshire Council to proceed with their plan."

Councillor Baldry asked the meeting whether this opinion was held by others present, and there was agreement. Councillor Bingham thanked the councillors for their input to the response he will now deliver to DCC.

* You can download a copy of Nick Boden's presentation as either a 2.9Mb Powerpoint file or a 1.3Mb Adobe Acrobat file.

Mark Your Diary: School Barbecue

2007-06-25T13:57:00.000+01:00

This year's Combs Infant School barbecue will be on Thursday 12th July, from 6.00pm to 8.00pm.

Food (including vegetarian options) and refreshments will be available.

There'll be lots of activities and stalls, including raffle, tombola, games, maypole dancing and much more.

UPDATE, 28 June
The school governors have invited the Cabinet of Derbyshire County Council, Tom Levitt, and representatives of the local councils. We hope they'll accept the invitation to the barbecue.

The Brownies Appeal to DCC

2007-06-25T10:38:00.000+01:00

From a letter to DCC written by the leader of Combs Brownie Pack:

Combs Brownie Pack was formed in the village in 1958. It is the only organisation for children in Combs and we meet in the Village Hall/School/Chapel.

If the school closes, funding for the Village Hall will cease from DCC and in such a small village it is unlikely that the Village Hall will be able to afford to keep going. There is nowhere else in the village to meet, and in any case, we are COMBS Brownies.

The Village Hall is a wonderful setting for our outdoor activities and we make full use of this. The Brownies host the annual harvest festival in the chapel and join in with other services and village events whenever possible.

DCC always state that they are encouraging facilities for children and young people, so please don't make 2008, when Combs Brownies celebrate their 50th anniversary, the year in which they have to close, because there is nowhere to meet.

The Brownies sent their own comments to DCC, listing the reasons for not closing Combs School. Here are a few of the things they said.

Combs School is like a big family.

It teaches children very well.

It is a really useful place for the village because weddings, meetings, parties and Brownies meet there.

Teachers and other staff would lose their jobs.

Some people might have to move house to find another good school.

It is hard to make friends in a new, big school.

There are less children in all of Combs school than in one class at other schools, so you get a better education, and you can do much more things.

Lambs, rabbits, hares, ducks, birds, hills, flowers, trees, butterflies, and frogs can be seen from the school windows. It's a lovely country school and these things matter.

DCC Councillor Writes to DCC

2007-06-24T07:18:00.000+01:00

This letter has been sent to Derbyshire County Council by Barrie Taylor (Liberal Democrat), the County Councillor for Whaley Bridge and Blackbrook ward, which includes Combs.

21st June 2007

Dear Mrs Hill,

Proposed Closure of Combs Infant School

I am writing in response to your official consultation letter dated 15th May concerning the proposals for the closure of Combs Infants School.

The fact that Combs School was judged to be “Outstanding” in last years OFSTED inspection makes it unusual among schools where closures have been proposed. As a result it cannot be argued that closure would benefit present or future pupils in any way. The case for closure must rest on benefits elsewhere, either to other schools or more generally as a result of financial savings.

As spelt out in the report to Cabinet, the programme of school closures is driven by the problem of surplus places. This is not a problem at Combs, nor likely to be in the foreseeable future, despite some projections indicating a slight decline from the immediate catchment area. It is more likely that Combs will be over subscribed.

The problem of falling rolls does affect Chapel Primary School, and the consultation paper makes the reasonable assumption that closing Combs would increase numbers at Chapel, as Combs children are expected to proceed to Chapel School at Junior age.

It came as a surprise therefore to discover that hardly any Combs children in fact go on to Chapel School, and the only logical conclusion is that in the absence of Combs school very few parents would elect to send their children to Chapel School. This pattern goes back at least eight years and must be considered unlikely to change in future years. Closing Combs School would therefore not help to solve the problems of surplus places at Chapel Primary School.

It has also been an established pattern that only a minority of pupils at Combs School live within its official catchment area, and there has been a general assumption that many pupils came from considerable distances. On more detailed analysis this has proved not to be the case. The official catchment area only includes the Combs valley itself which has only a small population. In practice there are half as many people again who live in the adjacent areas of Tunstead Milton and Manchester Road who are nearer to Combs School than to Chapel Primary, and even more living in outlying areas from which Combs is equally accessible. The consultation paper suggested that there would be an environmental benefit resulting from reduced travel distances if Combs School closed. Again this assumption has been shown to be unfounded. Even if there had been an environmental benefit as forecast, it would have been so marginal that it would surely have had no effect on the outcome.

One of the significant factors required to be taken into account when considering closing a school is the effect on the local community. It is generally the case that the closure of any village school does have a profound effect on the function of the local community which is hard to define and impossible to measure. However in the case of Combs there is a unique symbiotic relationship between the Village Hall Trust, the School and the Church which ultimately owns the building.

In practice the community, in the form of the Village Hall Trust, has effectively subsidised the school by freezing the rental payments for many years. As a result the total premises costs to the school have been exceptionally low, to the benefit of the quality of education. This contribution by the community would clearly be lost if the school were to close.

At the same time the rental paid by the school to the Village Hall Trust pays most of the overhead costs of the buildings, and without this income it is very unlikely that the Village Hall Trust would be able to survive for long. The likely outcome is that before too long the building would have to be sold by the church for conversion to a dwelling. The Village Hall is at present the centre of thriving community activities, and without the hall these too would be lost. It is therefore hard to overstate the effect of closure of the school on the Combs community.

The one remaining possible “benefit” from the closure of Combs School is that some money would probably be saved by the Authority. Quantifying this saving is not as simple as comparing the cost per pupil with the average cost across the county, and it is evident that the actual cash saving would be modest. The Authority clearly has a duty to consider all potential savings most carefully. However it is evident that within the established policy of providing some financial support to smaller schools, the cash saving alone would not have been sufficient to propose the closure of the school.

The OFSTED report on Combs School concluded that it provided outstanding value for money. In the absence of the other benefits that were anticipated in the original consultation document there remains no case for closing a school that has been widely acknowledged as a centre of excellence.

Yours sincerely,

Councillor Barrie Taylor

Alan Charles replies to Tom Levitt

2007-06-22T20:44:00.000+01:00

You will remember that Tom Levitt wrote to Alan Charles. Here is Alan Charles' reply in full.

Our Ref: AFC/TLJ/4675
14 June 2007

Dear Tom

Thank you for your letter of 25 May asking a number of questions in relation to the proposed closure of Combs Infant School. My responses are as follows:

1. What impact would closure have on the county’s finances and surplus place reduction programme?

As with all small school closures, the individual impact of any single closure is marginal. The total budget for Combs Infant School this year is £136,181. If all the children were to transfer to alternative Local Authority maintained schools in Derbyshire the approximate saving per year may be calculated in simple terms by taking the difference between the cost per pupil at Combs (£5,447) and the average cost per infant child (£2,635) multiplied by the number of Children. At Combs this amounts to £73,112. Our accountants have carried out a more sophisticated analysis and have arrived at a ‘savings’ figure of £87,000 [Note 1]. Opponents of the proposal have quoted a figure of £53,000 based on the funding per child at Chapel Primary School (their funding is higher owing to the ERS provision at the school). Whatever figure is used we would accept that the savings are marginal, especially when calculated in terms of the difference this will make to the funding per child across the County. However, that is always going to be the case when a primary school closure is being proposed, and if we followed that argument we wouldn’t close any schools. The Adjudicator for Stoney Middleton acknowledged that the marginal effect of a single school closure on finances was not a reason for rejecting closure:- “Objectors argue that the savings are very small relative to the Council’s overall budget. This is true, but is not an argument for not making those savings.”

A similar argument applies with regard to the effect on surplus places. The effect of closing one small school will always be negligible, but the overall effect of rationalising provision across a number of schools would be significant.

2. What other measures could be used to reduce surplus places?

As indicated in the consultation paper there are currently 60 surplus places at Chapel en le Frith CE Primary School. There are probably ways in which remodelling could be undertaken to reduce that figure, but this would not address the issue of whether it is equitable to keep such a small village school open at such a high funding level per pupil when such a small number of pupils (currently 10) live in the area. As I said clearly at the public meeting, we would not be proposing the closure of this school if it was genuinely providing an education for children living in the normal area. We would acknowledge that the number on roll at Combs is relatively stable, but only as a result of a majority of parents bringing their children to the village from outside the normal area, mostly (13) from the Chapel en le Frith area.

We would consider Federation as an option if the School could put forward a proposal in conjunction with one of its neighbouring schools, but there are no natural partners that we can envisage for this to be a realistic proposal, as outlined in the consultation paper. Also, I cannot see how this would address the issues which form the basis of the closure proposal.

The projections of future pupil numbers are based on the evidence we have regarding pie-school children living in the area, together with a ‘popularity’ factor which assesses the number of children attending from outside the normal area. At the consultation meeting one of the Governors suggested that there were larger cohorts of children of pre¬school age. We have asked the Governors to provide evidence of that as our data does not suggest that the current picture will change in the foreseeable future. If such evidence can be produced that will of course be a significant issue for the Authority to consider.

3. How have you calculated the net travel costs and carbon footprint implications of closure?

We have said in the consultation paper that “A significant proportion of the pupils at Combs Infant School travel from outside of the school’s normal area to attend this school. Hence the closure of Combs Infant School is unlikely to increase journeys.” This is based on the assumption that children would attend their normal area school if Combs were to close, Of course, we cannot guarantee that that would happen. We have acknowledged that if the current school bus arrangements are not satisfactory on health and safety grounds for infant aged children we would need to consider an alternative arrangement for any children attending Chapel CE Primary School from the village of Combs. This would also ensure that the journey time was reduced significantly.

4. Does DCC have the final say?

Yes — at this stage the Authority is only at an initial consultation stage. No decision has been taken regarding the publication of a statutory proposal to close the school. For any statutory proposals published from now on the Regulations introduced by the 2006 Act will apply. So if it is decided to proceed with the publication of a statutory notice in September, the Local Authority will be the decision maker as specified in the new Regulations. If, following that statutory consultation period, the Authority determined to approve the closure, the Church of England Diocese or the Catholic Diocese could refer the matter to the Schools Adjudicator. The only other appeal mechanism would be a judicial review.

5. Parental choice: are not all but one of the nearest school to Combs faith schools?

Chapel en le Frith, Dove Holes, and Taxal and Fernilee are Church of England Controlled schools. Whaley Bridge is a community school and Chinley is a Foundation school. There is therefore a mix of alternatives in the area although I accept that this is ‘weighted’ towards the CE voluntary schools. Whaley Bridge is not oversubscribed; the Planned Admission Number is 36 and for September 2007 there were 23 applicants for places on the ‘offer day’, 22 from the normal area and 1 sibling. So if parents strongly object to a Church controlled school place, there is a community school alternative. The differences between a CE controlled school and a community school are marginal. I could understand this being more of an issue with a church aided school, where the Church’s involvement is much greater.

6. Is there a presumption in favour of ‘excellent’ schools being protected in the Act?

Not specifically; certainly not in the same way as the specific reference to protecting rural schools. The Regulations state; “The Government’s aim is to transform our school system so that every child receives an excellent education — whatever their background and wherever they live. A vital part of the Government’s vision is to create a more diverse school system offering excellence and choice, sense of mission and a centre of excellence or specialist provision.” [Note 2]

7. How do you assess the impact of closure on a rural community?

This will be a key issue for the Cabinet to consider when a decision is taken on moving forward with the proposal. As you will be aware, there is a presumption against the closure of rural schools and the impact on the local community is one of the issues which must be considered. We have received a response from the Chair of the Village Hall Trustees expressing the Trustees’ concerns about the future viability of this facility and officers have discussed the financial position further with him as part of the consultation process. The Trustees will be submitting a detailed response in writing.

I appreciate the political considerations outlined in the final part of your letter, and the next report to Cabinet will certainly consider all the issues you have raised and will be in the public domain. It will be a difficult decision and the evidence gathered will be scrutinised closely before that decision is reached. I anticipate that the report summarising the responses and determining whether or not to proceed to the next stage — the publication of a Statutory Notice — will be submitted to Cabinet in August or early September. If a Notice is published there will be a statutory six week period for the submission of responses. A further report would then be submitted to Cabinet, probably in December.

Yours sincerely

Alan Charles

Note 1
DCC have been asked to explain this 'sophisiticated' analysis. Why wasn't it made available at the start of the consultation process?

Note 2
Closing Combs School will be the eradication of a centre of excellence. The guidance was emphasised by the reply to Tom Levitt's written Parliamentary question: "When deciding proposals to close a school the local authority must take account of statutory guidance issued by the Secretary of State. The guidance does not specify the weightings that decision-makers should apply to the various factors they take into account, but it makes clear that they must be satisfied that closing the school would contribute to raising the standard of provision locally and lead to improved attainment for children. The statutory guidance also includes a presumption against closing rural primary schools. Although this does not mean that no rural primary school will ever close, the case for closure needs to be strong."

The Secretary of State for Education has said recently, in relation to this issue: "We do encourage Local Authorities to take action to remove surplus places, as empty places can be poor use of resources, but our guidance makes clear that their removal must support the core agenda of raising standards and respect parents wishes by seeking to match school places with parental choices."

Whaley Bridge Council Backs School

2007-06-21T17:00:00.000+01:00

As reported by the Buxton Advertiser today:

WHALEY Bridge councillors have added their support to the fight to save Combs Infant School.

Members of the town council agreed to support the campaign group fighting to save the school from closure. Pupils would go to a school in Chapel.

Cllr Barrie Taylor, who also represents the ward serving Combs on the County Council, said: “I think what is significant is that the reason for closure seems to be almost entirely based on money.

“The last Ofsted inspection rated it outstanding and said it provided outstanding value for money.

“The closure is unlikely to benefit Chapel school at all.”

Chapel-en-le-Frith parish council have already voiced their support for the campaign with councillors voting unanimously to back the campaign and send a letter of support to Derbyshire County Council.

Parents in Fight to Save School

2007-06-21T09:30:00.000+01:00

From today's issue of the Derbyshire Times.

Concerned parents have started a campaign to stop the closure of a school which they say has become the "heart" of their village.

Derbyshire County Council plans to shut Combs School in an attempt to fill surplus places in the county.

Officers claim that it costs £5,447 to educate each pupil compared to the Derbyshire average of £2,635 and said 15 pupils currently travel from outside the catchment area to be educated there.

But parents believe the school has become a vital part of Combs, which is near Buxton, as it also acts as a village hall and meeting place.

Parent Carah Boden said: "We are trying to keep the village alive as a community and this school is the heart."

She added that the primary school, which has 25 pupils, was rated as outstanding following a recent Ofsted inspection and provides the right community education for her children.

Mrs Boden added: "They are forcing us to go to a school which has lower standards of education than the children are enjoying at our school."

Other parental concerns include transport to and from other schools such as Chapel-en-le-Frith Primary.

More than 1,000 signatures have been gathered on a petition and parents have gained support from High Peak MP Tom Levitt.

Cllr Alan Charles, Derbyshire County Council's schools chief, said: "The issue of falling pupil numbers is a tough problem. There are no easy answers and we have looked at all the options."

Parents have until July 6 to object to the proposed closure. A decision is due to be made by the end of September.

Rev. Philo Speaks for Methodists

2007-06-19T14:31:00.000+01:00

We asked Rev. David Philo for a comment on behalf of the Methodist Church. This is what he said:

It is with alarm and dismay that the Methodist Church (High Peak Circuit) heard of the proposed closure of a school which we consider very much part of our church.

The Methodist Church, locally and nationally, is absolutely committed to local education for local children, and Combs is an outstanding example of a local village school, loving and nurturing its children within the community and at the same time achieving outstanding educational results.

As a church, national and local, we have sought to work with government and local authorities to use our buildings to full capacity – Combs demonstrates this policy in action, a building which is an integral part of the community – a church, a meeting place, a school, a village hall, a place which caters for all passages of life from Baptism to marriage to marking the end of life.

We join with all Combs in fighting an ill-considered, ill-proposed closure, based upon spurious economies of truth.

Superintendent Rev. David Philo.

Note: Combs Infant School is a non-faith school.

Invitations Not Accepted (Yet)

2007-06-19T07:46:00.000+01:00

Well, we tried to give Gordon Brown a photo opportunity in the playground of an excellent school (he does seem to like doing them), but his campaign team haven't replied to our invitation (yet). We thought that he'd want to understand what makes a rural school work well. Last December, he said, "I propose to increase the cash we give to every school and every head teacher, to be used in the way local schools think best. The typical primary school received £39,000 this year in direct payments; for April next year I propose this be £50,000". We'd like him to explain how DCC's proposals square with his ambitions.

Nor has Alan Johnson told us he's interested (yet) in visiting Combs School. He's the chap that wrote, "We do encourage Local Authorities to take action to remove surplus places, as empty places can be poor use of resources, but our guidance makes clear that their removal must support the core agenda of raising standards and respect parents wishes by seeking to match school places with parental choices." So he'd surely want to know how removing an outstanding school that is favoured by parents is supposed to raise standards and improve choice.

We also thought that members of the Cabinet* of Derbyshire County Council might visit the village, as part of their due diligence in looking at whether Combs School should close. You would think that they'd want to personally understand what's going on, and take a short ride out from Matlock, wouldn't you?

But John Williams (Leader of the Council) replied to our invitation saying that they would not be coming. He said that they operate a cabinet system, and will make a decision based solely on the report of the cabinet member responsible for schools, Alan Charles. So they won't have the opportunity to gain personal knowledge on which to base their decision, and ensure that their individual responsibilities* are fully taken care of. Perhaps they suspect that they might have to change their minds - as other people have done when they have visited the village and gathered information first-hand - and then oppose the closing of the school.

Thank goodness that other people in politics (local and national) have taken the time to come and see for themselves what happens in Combs. It has often resulted in gaining their support.

So, Gordon Brown, Alan Johnson and members of the DCC Cabinet: we'd still like to show you round. You'll be made very welcome.

* The cabinet members (with the responsibilities they hold that are particularly relevant) are:

John Williams (Community Consultation), Anne Western (Overview of Schools Planning and Support), Annette Noskwith (Leader of the Opposition, without portfolio), Clive Moesby (Community safety), Brian Lucas (Public transport including schools), Bob Janes (Early Years and Childcare; Children’s Centres), Alan Charles, Geoff Carlile (Community development), Ken Armstrong (Community Cohesion; Parish Council Liaison), and Dave Allen (Supporting People). More information.

Please Don't Ruin My Village

2007-06-18T12:02:00.000+01:00

This letter to DCC from a Combs resident sums up the feelings of many people here.

I write with regard to the proposed closure of Combs Primary School. I live in the village of Combs with my wife. I would like to make the following points in opposition to this proposal.

The school is inarguably a standard-bearer for the whole county in terms of quality. It has been implied by the council that the main reason for this is the teacher/pupil ratio, funded by higher costs per pupil than other schools in the area. I would put it to you that this completely ignores the fact that the head teacher, Ms. Curry, and her colleagues, with the complete support and involvement of the local parents, form a formidable educational unit that much more probably explains the tremendous educational successes.

Why the county council would want to destroy such a standard-bearer is beyond us. It makes absolutely no sense to destroy something so successful. Obviously it costs slightly more to provide services in a rural area, but if the council direction is followed to its logical conclusion we may as well all move to Buxton, or even Derby, because it would be cheaper to provide services for us there.

In any event I am not entirely clear, other than the school that you seek to close, exactly what services the county council does provide for the village and its tax payers.

At present the village is a fresh and exciting place to live, with a diverse set of inhabitants including, obviously, families with young children. Much social activity, particularly in the summer months, revolves around the school and village hall, where the keen efforts of the staff and local parents make such events very entertaining for so many people.

Over a period of years the loss of the school will inevitably result in a long-term change for the worse in the life of the village. Other opponents of this proposal have already noted that closure of the school will almost certainly result in closure of the village hall. An important social centre will be lost. The village will become less attractive to families with children, and the present energetic contributions of parents will disappear. It is evident that closure of the school will inevitably result in further losses to the village, in terms of social interaction for all its inhabitants, and not just those directly associated with the school.

I for one very much enjoy living in a village with young people. Your proposed actions will ultimately result in my living in a village with an aging population, just like so many other rural areas in Derbyshire where services have been withdrawn.

Please do not ruin my village.

Commissioner Gets a Letter

2007-06-18T09:24:00.000+01:00

The school children have written the following letter to the Children's Commissioner:

Dear Sir Albert Aynsley-Green

As you are our Commissioner we would like you to know what is going on with our school. Our school is called Combs Infant School and is in Derbyshire. It is also the chapel and village hall in Combs. Derbyshire County Council is trying to close our school.

All our parents and grown ups in the village are doing lots to keep the school open and we want to help, which is why we are writing to you.

The school is a small Infant school with 26 children. It was put in the top 10% of all primary schools in the country after we had an outstanding Ofsted report in September 2006.

We cannot understand why it needs to be closed as we feel it is a very helpful school which helps us to understand and learn lots of exciting new things.

It is a fun and happy school with no bullying. The school has been in the village for a very long time and we would like it to be around when we are grown up. Please can you help SAVE OUR SCHOOL.

Love from all the children at Combs Infant School.

In March 2005 the Government appointed Professor Al Aynsley-Green as England's first Children's Commissioner.

The need for a Children's Commissioner was established through the consultation that led to the Children Act 2004. The role aims to give a national voice to all children and young people, especially the disadvantaged and the vulnerable.

Independent of government, the Commissioner's remit is to promote awareness of views and interests of children. He is expected to raise the profile of the issues that affect and concern children in England, and promote awareness and understanding of their views and interests among all sectors of society, both public and private.

This may involve working closely with organisations whose decisions affect all aspects of children's lives, including the police, schools, hospitals and voluntary groups.

Chapel Carnival - A Big Success

2007-06-17T19:00:00.000+01:00

Thank you to everyone who supported us on Saturday at Chapel-en-le-Frith Carnival.

The children travelled through Chapel on a float decorated using the theme “Living Things”, as this is the topic that the children are studying this term.

The costumes were very creative and included farmers, milkmaids, a donkey, a spider and two cats.

Despite variable weather the support that we received was amazing and the children were a credit to the school.

To top it all, the float won second prize!

The stand in the park was also very well supported.

It is fantastic to know that so many in Chapel are against the closure of Combs School: over 300 people signed the petition.

'Normal Area' Map

2007-06-16T12:26:00.000+01:00

Go to the updated Research Resources post to see the map of the 'Normal Area' for Combs School.

William’s Story

2007-06-15T14:54:00.001+01:00

This is William Ford-Ward’s story, as told by his mum, Jackie.

“My daughter Alice was 7 years old, and in year 2 at Combs School, when my younger son William was diagnosed with Leukaemia. As you can imagine, our lives fell apart. William and I spent weeks in Manchester Children’s Hospital, while he underwent chemotherapy from February to December 2003.

“Our focus was on William. It was an extremely difficult time for Alice, with her mum, dad and brother in and out of hospital. But thanks to the support and understanding of the school, she found it easier to get through.

“Most parents we met at hospital weren’t able to send their children to school while they were receiving treatment: these children had private tuition at home. One of the consultants treating William encouraged us to keep his life as normal as possible, and this included him going to school. We were fortunate: William was able to go into the reception class at Combs School, as apprehensive as we were about some of the problems he would face – infections, loss of hair, and weight gain. He settled immediately and became just one of the children, forgetting about his problems. The teachers helped William to get back on track with his education and the other children restored his confidence and let him know that his treatment wasn’t his whole life.

“Will has missed many days schooling over the past three years, but thanks to the teachers he has never fallen behind in his learning. He is now into the last of his five years of checkups, and everything is going well for him."

William is pictured receiving his Young Achievers Award from Councillor Burrows

“I believe we are fortunate to live in this small community. People know who their neighbours are here, and there is a tremendous community spirit. My husband’s family has farmed here for the past sixty years. He went to Combs School, as did his two sisters.

My two children have had a wonderful education there, and I hope that my third child, expected in October this year, will be attending this same amazing small school in the heart of this wonderful village.”

Kids help MacMillan

2007-06-14T09:30:00.000+01:00

From today's Buxton Advertiser:

YOUNGSTERS at the closure-threatened Combs Infants School have helped raise over £500 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Six pupils took part in a sponsored walk around Fernilee Reservoir, organised by one of the parents, and raised £574.

Teacher Judy Irwin said: "For them to do that is just fantastic, especially as it took place out of school hours. We think they have done brilliantly.

"The school now hopes this will become an annual event for such a worthwhile cause."

DCC General Council Meeting

2007-06-13T19:00:00.000+01:00

Mike Evanson from the Village Hall Trust and three parents from Combs School attended the General Council Meeting at Matlock this afternoon to put the following question to Councillor Alan Charles, Cabinet Member for Education, on behalf of the campaign.

'Since the consultation process began in May, we have sought to explain the strong community support for the School, Village Hall and Chapel. We have shown in meetings with the Council and others (to be supported by the submissions that we will make to Council) that the objectives of the Council to reduce surplus school places and improve educational standards will not be achieved by the Council's proposal. Has this strong evidence and support for the continuance of Combs School, Village Hall and Chapel already suggested to the Council that the proposal for closure should be set aside?'

After Councillor Charles’ response, a supplementary question was allowed, again put by Mike Evanson on behalf of the campaign:

'Various political representatives who have had greater exposure to the evidence have already concluded that there is a very strong case for Combs School not to be closed. The Council may be aware of the approach made by Tom Levitt to question the proposal, the unanimous support of the Parish Council for our area, and the messages of support that have been sent by present High Peak and County Councillors. This complements a unified and determined community response, which is characteristic of the spirit of Combs in present and past times. To quote a councillor from Chapel-en-le-Frith: 'When I went to the consultation meeting, based on the evidence presented by DCC, I thought there was a clear case for closure of the school. Having heard the arguments put forth by the whole community - parents, governors and villagers - I left with a completely changed mind.' Since the continuation of this consultation process will continue to destablilise a valuable resource, and not achieve the Council's objectives, in whose interests is it to let it continue?'

Councillor Barrie Taylor (Lib Dem – Whaley Bridge and Blackbrook) spoke later in the meeting regarding the closure of Combs in the context of Surplus Places and related Primary School Closures and concluding that closing Combs would not meet any of the objectives originally set out in DCC’s Proposed Closures document.

Councillor Tracy Critchlow (Conservative – Chapel and Hope Valley) stated that she was totally against the closure and that perhaps the Cabinet would have given the school the courtesy of spelling ‘Combs’ correctly in the Agenda.

A spokesman for Apperknowle school asked if the Council will take into consideration the individual needs of children during the consultation process.

Councillor Charles’ response to all of the above is summarized below and follows the same lines as his response to the Open Meeting at the school on 22nd May:

‘Closing a school is always a very, very hard decision’
‘We have a strategic responsibility to provide quality education for the 110,000 children in primary education in the Authority’
‘We have to ensure we are getting value for money for all the children across the county’
‘We have an Audit Commission requirement and DfES requirement not to waste public funds in empty school buildings and to ensure that every child should get a fair deal’
‘It costs around £5,700 to educate each child at Combs and Apperknowle compared to £2,600 to educate elsewhere’ [see Note 2 below]
‘At Combs we are looking at educating 10 children [currently] from the ‘normal’ area of the school: are we going to do it a cost of moving them to another school nearby [Chapel], for which we will provide the necessary transport provision? Or are we going to continue to pay twice the price for them to continue their privileged education at the cost of other schools in Derbyshire? [see Note 1 below]
‘We are convinced that we can provide quality education at Chapel Primary School for the children at Combs for less than half the price’.
‘Councillor Taylor has misled the people of Combs. I have no authority whatsoever to stop this consultation. Clearly our view is to close the school. It is up to the local community to come up with the written evidence to stop it. I have been helpful in suggesting the only areas that would change our opinion’.

The only evidence that would change the decision to close Combs school is, as stated by Councillor Charles:-

New pre-school data [to contradict the falling role issue].
The length of the journey to Chapel Primary for the relevant children in the school [as at September 2008].
The impact of closing the school on the continuance of the Village Hall and Church facility.

Note 1:
By ‘at the cost’ Councillor Charles obviously means ‘to the detriment’ rather than referring to the actual costs stated per pupil

Note 2:
‘Twice the price’ is misleading – it has already been stated that it costs £3,320 to educate each child at Chapel as against the above quoted county average of ‘£2,600’. The actual cost per child at Combs is £5,447 not £5,700 as stated. Even if you add the current Combs 26 pupils into the 465 published roll for Chapel (from OfSTED 2004), the per pupil cost remains at over £3,000.

DCC's version of the meeting is contained in their minutes.

Letter from Chapel-en-le-Frith Parish Council

2007-06-12T20:46:00.000+01:00

You'll remember that Chapel-en-le-Frith Parish Council gave their unanimous support to keeping Combs School, Village Hall and Chapel open. This is part of the Council's letter to DCC.

The Parish Council have considered the matter fully and were represented at the public consultation meeting at the School on 22 May 2007.

Members were unanimous in their objection towards the proposed closure of the school. The Parish Council Ward Members have been involved in the life of the School and Village Hall over a considerable number of years, working with the Community and The Village Hall Trust to secure grant funding in 1992/93 through the Peak District National Park Authority and in 1996/97 through ACRE to enable the premises to be extended for the benefit of the School and Village Hall. It was noted that since that time there has been an increase in the number of pupils who live within the Parish boundary attending the School. More recently the Council has worked in partnership with the Village Hall Trust to provide play equipment for the community on adjacent land.

Combs Infants School is an outstanding School, which fulfils a proven need within the Parish of Chapel-en-le-Frith. In addition to this the building is a focal point in the community as the Village Hall and Methodist Church. The Village Hall Trust is active within the community and the loss of income that would result if the School were to close would mean that its viability would be seriously compromised along with the provision of a place of worship. The culmination of all this would have a negative effect on Village life.

In rural communities it is important that there is place where the community can come together and the joint use of the building by the School, Village Hall and Church reaches out to the community as a whole, with their viability and long term survival being inter dependant on each other. The delivery by the Countryside Agency of the Rural White Paper underlined this point and initiatives such as the Combs model of joint use of a building were championed and funded. It is felt that Derbyshire County Council has a duty of care to the community as a whole, of which the provision of a School in the community is a part.

For these reasons the Parish Council wishes to lodge a strong objection towards the proposed closure of Combs Infants School.

Answer to Parliamentary Question

2007-06-12T08:29:00.000+01:00

See this post for the answer to Tom Levitt's written Parliamentary question.

It Could Be Stopped Now

2007-06-09T10:02:00.001+01:00

Since the consultation began, DCC has become aware of additional and more accurate information. More than one politician who has looked at the matter has concluded, contrary to DCC's proposal, that Combs School, Village Hall and Chapel should stay open.

On June 13, representatives* of the campaign will go to the Council meeting in Matlock, and ask the following question of Alan Charles (pictured right):

"Since the consultation process began in May, we have sought to explain the strong community support for the School, Village Hall and Chapel. We have shown in meetings with the Council and others, to be supported by the submissions that we will make to Council, that the objectives of the Council to reduce surplus school places and improve educational standards will not be achieved by the Council's proposal. Has this strong evidence and support for the continuance of Combs School, Village Hall and Chapel already persuaded the Council that the proposal for closure should be set aside?"

We believe that Councillor Charles was misinformed when he said, at the consultation meeting, that he wasn't able to halt the process now. Section 4.69 of the DfES guide to LAs ("Closing a Maintained Mainstream School") says "Proposals may be withdrawn at any point before a decision is taken". The DCC meeting will be the opportunity for Councillor Charles to join with the other politicians who've already expressed their views on this web site.

*If you're able to go to Matlock to support him, please let Mike Evanson know.

1721	John Wright of Baghouses, by Will, gave a rent charged of £2 per annum, "for the encouragement of a Schoolmaster into Combs Edge", providing the neighbours in the Edge would make up more within 12 months". The neighbours did not respond.*
1861	The Day School was held at Ivy Cottage, and was kept by Miss H. Morten assisted by Mary Ann Fox. Miss Morten, who was to have been married, fell ill and decided it was not fair to her fiancé to wait for her recovery, which might not happen. Adam Fox encouraged her to start this school, which was very successful. Ivy Cottage, near the Bee Hive, has been enlarged (there were two then), and is now called "Little Corner"**.
1881	The School was at the Wesleyan Chapel, and the Teacher was Miss Jackson, with a salary of £35 per annum.
1882	The Teacher was Miss Bebbington.
1883	The Teacher was Miss Goldstraw, and according to Mr. Jim Lomas, who was a pupil at the Chapel, she was the "best writer in Combs". His brother and sister went to "Ivy Cottage" School.
1886	The Teacher was Miss Washington.
1887-94	The Teachers were Miss Proctor and Miss White, the latter came from Leicester, and lodged with Mrs. Bagshawe at Smithy Cottages.
1894-97	The Teacher was Miss Muir, who lodged at Smithy Cottages. One of the older girls, Abigail Clayton, held the post of pupil teacher to the infants. At this time, there were 42 pupils at the School, all taught by Miss Muir, until she had an assistant. Children came from the remote farm "Moss House", which is nearer Buxton than Combs, perhaps more than three miles distant. After Miss Muir came Miss Hetty Mortin, Mrs Shilton, Miss Voles and Mrs Coates.
1900	The Sunday School was kept by Mrs Ollerenshaw.
1907	(Dec 21st) "A meeting, which may prove to historical, was held in the little hamlet of Combs on Thursday, December 12th. It was the first meeting of the Managers of the recently established Combs Council School, which hitherto, had been a Wesleyan School. The Managers are Mr. J. E. Lomas, Mr. Thomas Yates, Mr James Brocklehurst, Mr. Francis Bramwell, Mr. John Fallows and Mr. J. Hague. There followed a list of Teachers, and a discussion ensued about new chairs, desks and books."
1914	Mrs. Shilton, of Lane End Cottages, taught here for some years around this time.