Somerset school changes: Families mount legal challenges

Parents in Somerset are fighting controversial changes to nine schools that could result in some closing.

Schools in Crewkerne and Ilminster will move from a three-tier system (infant or junior, middle and upper) to a two-tier system (primary and secondary).

Somerset County Council approved the changes on 17 March to address the low pupil numbers in some of the schools.

Parents have started two legal bids to overturn them and the council confirmed it had received a set of proceedings.

Under the changes due to be introduced in 2022, Misterton School will close and Wadham Upper will double in size to become a secondary school.

Swanmead and Greenfylde schools will merge to create one primary spread across two sites.

Taylor Larcombe's six-year-old daughter Willow attends Misterton First School.

Her solicitors, Irwin Mitchell, have applied to to the High Court to bring a judicial review challenging the "lawfulness of the decision and the preceding consultation process".

Mrs Larcombe told the BBC: "I think it's ridiculous, it's a fantastic school."

She claimed the proposal to close the school was greeted with "an uproar" from staff and parents which led to a council consultation.

"Over 80% of parents, teachers and community members said 'no, we don't want this change you're proposing', and they still pushed it through," Mrs Larcombe said.

"They kept saying... if you think of any alternatives let us know, and multiple, multiple alternatives have been thrown their way, and they just disregarded every single one."

"I'd like them to scrap it altogether and just leave our school system as it is," she said.

The Save Our Schools campaign alliance of teachers and parents is also challenging the decision through the courts and is raising funds to oppose wider changes to schools in the area.

So far the campaign has raised £1,000 towards legal fees.

Mrs Larcombe's daughter Summer, 10, is at Maiden Beech Academy, a middle school (for pupils aged nine to 13) that is due to become a primary school ( for pupils aged five to 11).

Last month parents and children held a small covid-compliant protest at Maiden Beech Academy to voice their opposition.

Bob and Amanda Knott's daughter Pixie, 12, attends Maiden Beech and their son Tobias, seven, is at St Bartholomew's, both of which are affected.

Mr Knott said: "The pandemic has caused a massive upheaval to the children's education, and now they want to upheave them even more over the next 36 months."

"They're trying to catch up on all the education they've missed over the last 12 months, and now they're expected to change schools, and move into a school which is almost doubling in size," he continued.

Another parent who did not want to be named told the BBC that parents and children were "not happy at all" and felt the facilities that Maiden Beech offered, such as IT suites, kitchens and science labs, would be lost to future students.

Imogen is one of four year-six pupils at Maiden Beech who has started a petition to fight the changes. So far the petition has more than 180 signatures.

She said one of her worries was that the changes meant she would go to Wadham Secondary a year earlier.

"Maiden Beech is an amazing school and I would love to finish my time there until the end of year 8.

"I hope that the council take notice of the petition as children haven't been asked about their point of view," she said.

Somerset County Council said: "We appreciate it is an emotive subject. We encourage all parties to work together to make these changes happen as smoothly as possible for the children, their families and carers, and the school staff.

"This will help ensure that every child continues to receive the high quality education that they absolutely deserve."

"We can confirm we have received a set of proceedings. We do not agree with the allegations made but will respond by way of the legal process."