Councillors have agreed to start a consultation process to determine the future of Great Gidding CofE Primary School.
The future viability of the school is being considered because of a continuing drop in pupil numbers.
In the past 10 years the number of pupils at the school has fallen from 75 to 47 - 35 of whom come from outside the school’s mainly rural catchment area. This pattern is projected to continue, with the total number of pupils on roll likely to fall below 40 by September 2024.
Cambridgeshire County Council’s Children and Young People Committee therefore agreed at its meeting on January 17 to start a consultation period which will seek views on the potential closure of the school, and the redeployment of pupils to other suitable local schools.
The consultation will start on January 23 and end on February 21. A public consultation meeting will be held on January 31 at 7pm at Great Gidding Primary School.
A wide range of interested parties – including parents and the wider community – will be asked for their views before a decision on the next steps is taken.
The consultation will include details of the other schools where pupils at Great Gidding CofE Primary School would be offered places, including arrangements for pupils who receive educational provision recognised by the local authority as reserved for children with special educational needs, the impact on the community and on travel.
The committee will consider progress in March and are due to make a final decision on the school’s future in April.
Cllr Bryony Goodliffe, Chair of the Children and Young People Committee said: “I am confident that the committee has taken the right decision. The consultation process will be thorough and transparent – we want as many people as possible to respond so we can take all views into consideration before deciding what to do next.”