From Vix Lowthion, IW Green Party spokesperson:

So our MP, Bob Seely, has written to parents at the threatened Studio School, in East Cowes, claiming ‘that closing the school is the only reasonable option’.

He cites low numbers enrolled and the absence of a trust to take over.

However, when faced with a similar situation at the Bay Academy in Sandown last year, he worked with the DfE and the IW Council to find a successful solution to keep the school open.

Why won’t he do the same for the Studio School?

The pupils and staff here are committed, industrious and forward-thinking, offering a unique academic and vocational curriculum with strong links with Island businesses.

Studio Schools are a Conservative Government initiative, within the disparate Free Schools and Academies model, which sees power taken away from local councils and given to national government and corporations to control.

As part of our government, Mr Seely should be defending their strategies and working hard to make our Studio School a success. Instead, he has given up on our young people.

Mr Seely recently sent out a shiny press release and photos of him ‘in action’ in sailing gear in East Cowes claiming ‘we need a jobs agenda’ on the IW.

Yet here he is, completely failing to support a valued school, where the entire ethos is about equipping Island young people for a future in the workplace. 

The MP for the IW first and foremost needs to fight for the Island — not to impose government failures on our children.

We must keep our Studio School.