SCHOOL staff union, GMB Southern has praised staff, pupils and parents for the way they organised themselves to protect secondary education in Sandown.
It follows yesterday’s (Monday) news that Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) was walking away from running Sandown Bay Academy, after an outcry from councillors and the public about plans to shut the school.
It paves the way for a transfer of leadership to another academy chain or creating an ‘all through’ school by expanding the Bay Church of England Primary School, to run the Sandown Bay Academy site.
Adrian Baker, GMB regional organiser, said: “This is a fantastic day for all residents of Sandown. The thought of Sandown, a large and vibrant Island community not providing its own secondary school and seeing its children forced to travel almost three thousand miles a year was something that the community rallied against.
“Today, those staff, parents and pupils should rightly be proud of the way they organised themselves to maintain the right to a good local education.”
Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely also praised the community for giving the school such strong support.
He said: “We now need to ensure that the government accepts our advice as to the right structures for the school, and that we give parents, pupils and teachers the support they need to ensure the school thrives.”
For more on this story, please see Friday’s County Press, Friday, September 8.