PARENTS and campaigners fighting to lift the possibility of closure from Matching Green Primary School have issued a 'give our school a chance' plea to the education chiefs who will decide its fate.o

More than 150 people, with many more outside, packed St Edmund's Hall next to the school to hear that the closure consultation had been sparked solely by the school's last Ofsted report.

Essex County Council's head of planning and access services Nigel Hunt said the report "paints a very serious position as serious as we've seen in any school in the county".

He added: "The school has been placed in special measures by Ofsted inspectors and it was confirmed by an HMI (Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools) visit.

"Some schools in special measures just tip in. The report on this school is an extremely critical report and if special measures is a broad band, this school is well down that band."

But campaigners say the report, which says that 39 per cent of teaching was unsatisfactory, is flawed and unfair. They want the school to be given more time for improvements to be made.

Action group chairman Julie Chandler said the report referred to "one snapshot".

"The three previous years have results far above those of 2000," she added.

Fyfield district councillor Doug Kelly said: "The report is not all negative." Quoting from the document, he said maths and science were in line with the national average and "throughout the school the teaching was satisfactory in 61 per cent of lessons."

He said the proportion of pupils achieving the highest level at Key Stage 2 was above the national average. In English, pupils were average at age 11 but lower at age seven.

"All very good reasons to keep this rural school open," he said. "It has had a number of favourable reports over the years. What changed in this school? It really does concern me that the change seems to have occurred in the past seven months or so."

Brentwood and Ongar MP Eric Pickles said: "This is a valuable educational asset that we shouldn't throw away because of two lousy terms. This school needs the chance to come back. We need a chance, this school needs a chance to succeed.

"This school does not meet the typical profile of a school in special measures. We have to persuade the cabinet (at Essex County Council) that this is a school worth saving."

The Rev Charles Masheder, who has been the parish vicar for ten years, said: "It has always been a super place for children."

Comments about the proposals must be with the county council by December 7.

The executive board will make one of three decisions on January 8 drop the closure consultation and the school remains open, defer a decision or pursue the closure and issue public notices.

If closure is favoured, the independent school organisation committee will meet in March. Its decision must be unanimous and if it agrees closure then the school will shut on August 31.

A decision is expected by the end of May.

November 22, 2001 8:32