Last updated 15:54, Wednesday, 02 April 2008

A SCHOOL under threat of closure has been dealt a second blow – with the resignation of its last remaining teacher.

determined: Governors Hilary Cooper and Trudy Harrison

Lyndsay Hughes, who teaches children aged seven to 11 at Captain Shaw’s Church of England Primary School in Bootle, is quitting to work at a school in Ambleside.

The news announced to parents follows the resignation of head teacher Helen Webber earlier this month.

Mrs Webber, who was head of Captain Shaw’s for three years, will become head of Black Combe Junior School, Millom, in September.

As the Bootle mixed-age school only has two teachers, including Mrs Webber, the resignations will leave the school with no teaching staff for the next academic year. But parents and governors have vowed to fight on to secure the school’s future and help the local authority find replacements.

School governor Hilary Cooper said: “The long-term uncertainty about the job makes it difficult, so it is a real challenge to find two new staff for September.

“In a small rural village in Cumbria, the threat of closure is never far away. But we are not under review or being looked at for closure.

“We all know the school has had to resist the threat of closure several times in the past and it’s likely we are going to have to face it again in the future, but we are stronger now. We want to find a practical solution to the long-term problem of primary education, because there has been uncertainty in Bootle for a long time.”

Captain Shaw’s was threatened with closure in an education shake-up last year. Either the Bootle School, in Main Street, or Waberthwaite Primary School, were facing the axe due to falling pupil numbers. But the schools were given a temporary reprieve last May by Cumbria County Council chiefs, who claimed the plans will not happen in the immediate future.

The governors are now trying to gauge community support and gain ideas to secure the long-term future of the school, which has 24 pupils. Around 16 families and prospective parents attended a meeting held by the governors on Thursday.

Mrs Cooper, who has two daughters at Captain Shaw’s, said: “The school is very much part of the community and it is really important we find out if parents are behind the school, because the future of the school is in our hands.

“The governors have always had tremendous support from both the school and the wider community.

“We also need to meet with the local authority to discuss the way forward as they step in to recruit new staff for September.

“We don’t want to see the appointment of new staff as filling a gap. After the Easter break, we will have a decision on how we will proceed with getting new staff and securing the school.”

Fellow governor Trudy Harrison, who has four children at the school, said: “We are spurred on for action. We need to get our staff replaced, and the education for the children is our number one concern. “As a governor, I know some of the parents don’t drive and some families have one car. If their children went to a school outside the village, transport would be provided for the children, but not for parents to go to school events, for example.”

Mrs Cooper, of Bootle, added: “If the school is taken away, it will have a detrimental effect on the life of the village. “How can Bootle thrive if it does not attract young families with children?”

The pair have paid tribute to both outgoing teachers. Mrs Cooper said: “Both Helen and Lyndsay, who have each taught at the school for three years, have been absolutely fantastic teachers and have gone way beyond the call of duty.

“They have now got good jobs in bigger schools with more responsibility and we wish them luck.”

Messages of support, suggestions or donations can be made by emailing admin@capt-shaws.cumbria.sch.uk.

County council spokesman Mark Graham said: “It is too early to talk about what effect these changes may have on the future of the school.

“We will be working with governors and staff to develop a way forward ahead of the next academic year. The paramount priority is to maintain an excellent standard of education for the pupils of Captain Shaw’s School.”