EDUCATION chiefs are being urged to put off any move to close Matching Green Primary School until it has had a chance to prove itself.

Ongar county councillor Gerard McEwen who is supporting the save our school campaign says the whole process, which follows a poor Ofsted report, is premature, and instead the village school should become a 'centre of excellence'.

Essex County Council is proposing to close the school from August 31 next year, after it was put into 'special measures' following its inspection in June.

In a letter to councillor Iris Pummell, the county council cabinet member for children and schools, Mr McEwen said the school had a very good Ofsted report in 1997 and seven months before its critical inspection had an excellent local education authority inspection.

Mr McEwen wrote: "The parish council and school governors have spent a great deal of time and effort in producing an action plan which is due to be presented at the end of the month. They assert that the correct procedure is for this to be assessed, with a six-month period followed by a further inspection before any consultation on closure.

"The local education authority should support the school to come out of 'special measures' in two years. The school has not been looked at since the June Ofsted report."

His letter adds: "Their vision (the parents and governors) is that we should aim to make the school a centre of excellence with a view to expanding it to take some of the pressure off Moreton."

A campaign group is targeting homes across its catchment area seeking support.

This week Matching Parochial Church Council said it was "deeply concerned" at the proposals.

In a letter to the Guardian, the council said: "A village school is the future of keeping a rural community alive. It provides a focal point for local children, draws together young people and families and teaches them the value of being part of a community.

"These children are our future and they have the right to continue their education in this nurturing environment.

"We whole-heartedly support our school, those who work in it, the parents and governors and, above all, the children whose future is in our hands."

The campaigners calling for a reprieve say the Ofsted report was "overcritical and unjust".

October 25, 2001 8:23