Campaigners bring 1,000-strong petition to keep village primary school

Campaigners hoping to keep Tipton St John Primary School in the village have presented councillors with a petition containing nearly 1,000 signatures.

Judith Taylor, who represents the group, gave the document to Devon County Council’s full meeting as part of moves to try to keep the school in the community.

Its future remains uncertain as the Department for Education (DfE) has agreed to fund a new building at Ottery St Mary, with Devon County Council providing the land and paying for work such as road access.

Former East Devon Conservative MP Simon Jupp, who lost his seat in the election, had campaigned on the issue and earlier this year welcomed then education secretary Gillian Keegan to the school to urge that work begin quickly.

The DfE’s preferred location for a new school is two miles away, but campaigners who oppose this are growing louder.

“There is strong support to retain the school, which has existed for over 180 years, in the village, as it is a vital resource for our area,” Ms Taylor said.

“It is a popular school, and local parents choose to send their children there due to it being a small rural school.

“It has a good reputation, but it is the quality of its rural location that is a key driver for most parents. It’s important that small rural schools are supported as they provide many benefits over and above their academic value.”

She added that there were “multiple sites” in Tipton St John that could accommodate a new school, and that reports reviewed by campaigners led them to believe that “sites in Tipton have not been reviewed fairly or without bias to date.

“Historically, there have been ongoing discussions of moving the school to nearby Ottery St Mary, and we feel this has clouded the assessment of potential sites in Tipton,” she added.

Following boundary changes at the last election, Tipton St John is now in the Honiton and Sidmouth constituency, represented by Liberal Democrat Richard Foord, who says he would prefer the school to stay in the village.

This is despite the school being in a flood-risk area and being underwater on several occasions.

Shortly after the election, Mr Foord visited the school and met its headteacher and governors.

“It is a school that absolutely does need to be rebuilt, but there is a very big question over where,” Mr Foord said.

“Personally, I’m of the view that it should be kept in the village if at all possible.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We remain committed to improving the condition of the school estate, and the rebuild of Tipton St John is a part of that.

“We continue to work with the school and local partners and look forward to progressing the project when a new suitable site has been secured.

“All future decisions remain subject to the spending review.”