Save Gamlingay Village College

Dear Mr Gove,



We, the undersigned, are writing to you to express our concern about the treatment of Gamlingay Village College and the potential threat to its future.



As you may be aware from your colleagues, Andrew Lansley and Alistair Burt, Gamlingay Village College (GVC), failed its OFSTED inspection in February 2011 and was placed into special measures. In April 2011, Cambridgeshire County Council launched a consultation process about the future of GVC. Two of the three proposals for its future involved the closure of the school including the local authoritys preferred option.



Gamlingay Village College is unique in Cambridgeshire in that it is the only middle school in the county. This reflects its geographical position close to the Bedfordshire County border and approximately six miles from the nearest upper school, Stratton Upper School, in Biggleswade. At present approximately 90\% of GVC students continue their education at Stratton after leaving the middle school.



Our concern is that if the local authoritys preferred option were to go ahead, and Gamlingay students were to transfer to Bassingbourn Village College, then the choice of sending our children to Stratton would largely be denied since this would involve transferring our children to another school for Years 7 and 8. The current situation allows parents the choice of sending their children to Bassingbourn, or indeed any other Cambridgeshire secondary school at age 11 or continuing at GVC until age 13. Closure of GVC would therefore significantly reduce parental choice which does not chime with current government thinking nor does it follow the guidelines set out for school closure.



Whilst no parent can be happy about sending their child to a school in special measures, we feel that there is much still positive about the school including an ethos of caring for students. This was something that was acknowledged in an otherwise critical OFSTED report. We find it strange that the local authority should consult about closure barely two months after inspection and before Her Majestys Inspectors have undertaken their first monitoring visit. We feel aggrieved that other schools within the local authority, such as Millfield Primary in Littleport, which have also recently been placed into special measures appear not to be threatened with closure in the same way as GVC.



We have represented our views to the local authority and we have asked numerous questions, some of which remain unanswered. We have yet to receive a coherent explanation for and justification of their preferred choice namely closure. We also feel that our view, that GVC should remain open and federated with Stratton (OFSTED rated good with outstanding features), has not been heard by the local authority. This view has clearly been expressed by an overwhelming majority of the local community at various events staged during the consultation process.



We strongly feel that Cambridgeshire local educational authority should be focusing all of its efforts on raising educational standards at the school rather than diverting its energy into what has been a flawed consultation process.



We would ask you, as Secretary of State for Education, to ensure that the local educational authority takes due notice of the clear view expressed by most people within the local community during its consideration about the future of Gamlingay Village College.