Pupils Protest

Pupils from one our village schools are going on a protest march this afternoon – after plans were revealed to make their Headmaster redundant as early as next month.

The Diocese of Leicester Academies Trust proposes to remove Swinford C of E Primary School’s Edy O’Connor from his post after seven years – to be replaced with an Executive Head responsible for more than one school within the Trust.

At the end of the school day today, children will march through the village to The Green, wearing masks of their much loved Head Teacher, to show how upset they’d be to lose him.

Parents and carers say they’re “disappointed and dismayed by the proposal” – and that it was unfair of the Trust not to consult them first over the planned changes. They add: “If this proposal is implemented Edy, his staff, the governing body, the parents and carers, the village community and most importantly the children will all suffer.”

The Diocese of Leicester Academies Trust has now issued a statement which reads:

“As a trust committed to small rural primary schools, we appreciate and understand how integral they are to the communities that we serve. As their custodians, it is important that we make decisions that will ensure that such schools continue to grow and succeed for generations to come.
The challenges and pressures that all schools are facing at the moment are, however, unprecedented. Changes to how schools are funded are having a tangible impact, which means we are having to think innovatively about how we can ensure schools like our own are both delivering a highly effective education and are sustainable for the future.
We would like to stress that we acknowledge the strength of the comments and feelings that have already been shown. Parents have been sent a letter inviting them to meet with senior staff from the Trust and colleagues from the Diocese of Leicester, and we would welcome the opportunity to meet with families to discuss any thoughts that they may have.
We appreciate that any potential change can lead to concern and anxiety, but would like to assure you that we all share the same passion and determination to help our small schools stay open and flourish.”