A COSTLY and time-consuming legal fight that would throw part of its school reform timetable into chaos is to be side-stepped by the Isle of Wight Council.
The council looks set to decide next month not to take on the Schools Adjudicator, who, after being called in by the council, threatened to block part of re-organisation.
The dispute centres on amalgamation on two sites and under one governing body, of Godshill, Chillerton and Rookley and Wroxall primaries.
The amalgamation decision was made by the Isle of Wight Council, but the adjudicator ruled he wanted to decide whether it should happen.
Isle of Wight Council leader Cllr David Pugh said: "The council does not accept the view of the Schools Adjudicator and has taken legal advice that supports its own view.
"However, instead of undertaking a costly and time-consuming challenge through the courts to decide what happens next, the council is proposing the schools increase their upper age limit and enter into a hard federation rather than close and amalgamate as currently proposed.
"This means the matter can be decided locally with minimum disruption to pupils, parents and school staff and the re-organisation for these three schools can continue to the same timetable as for all other primary schools."
Because federation with separate governing bodies and not amalgamation is now proposed, the earmarked-for-closure Chale primary has been invited to see if it can be part of it.
Chale governors’ chairman Alan Lock said: "This gives us another lifeline. We will never surrender hope."
A joint statement from the chairs of governors of Godshill, Chillerton and Rookley and Wroxall schools said: "We share the council’s frustrations that the adjudicator has not made the decision to allow us to proceed with the amalgamation as we anticipated in September 2010.
"But we are fully supportive of a hard federation as a pragmatic solution to ensure our schools have Year 5 and 6 provision by September 2010 and 2011 respectively, culminating in eventual amalgamation."
Reporter: richardw@iwcpmail.co.uk