School could reopen as specialist education centre

A former village school could reopen as a specialist education provision under new proposals by Warwickshire County Council.

Great Alne Primary School in Alcester was closed down in July after pupil numbers had fallen since 2023 to just 12 children.

Under council plans, the school would provide up to 40 specialist places for primary-aged children with autism, speech, language and communication needs.

"I know the closure of the primary school was difficult for the local community, but this proposal offers a chance to keep that educational connection in the village," councillor Wayne Briggs said.

A decision to progress the plans was backed by the council's cabinet, but is still dependent on funding and the completion of feasibility and consultation exercises.

Mainstream school places could also be brought back to the school to help the plan's viability.

"It is really easy to understand why we can't run a school with just nine pupils," councillor Keith Kondakor said.

"If we are running a special educational facility or a new academy for 40 pupils, that covers the costs of a head teacher, a lot of the on-costs, so can we consider having one classroom for local children as well? Particularly at the infant age."

Under the wider plans by the Reform minority administration, the number of available places would gradually increase over the first three years.

Earlier this year, local councillors and residents had argued the school could grow again and had not been given enough time to turn around declining pupil numbers.

Lib Dem and Green councillors stated a computer glitch meant the full level of interest in the school had not been recorded, but members of the council's Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee rejected that concern.

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