Save Our School - Chillerton & Rookley

25/04/2025

An empty former primary school could be transformed into a satellite site for an Isle of Wight special school.

02/06/2023

🆘 This is a third time Chillerton & Rookley Primary School has survived a full closure attempt 🆘

Controversial proposals which could have led to the closure of four Isle of Wight primary schools have been pulled.

28/02/2023

⭐️ S H A R I N G ⭐️ from the Chillerton & Gatcombe Horticultural Society…this will be of interest to the whole community, since the school has played such a large part in our lives 💛

An evening meeting of Chillerton & Gatcombe Horticultural Society (Friday March 3rd, 7.30PM, at the Village Hall) will be a selection of reminiscences of Chillerton School from people who have attended it over many decades.

We are especially pleased to welcome Ian Murdoch MBE as one of the presenters, and would like to welcome all those who attended, or have an interest in, our local school. In particular we would like all who have reminiscences from their time at the school that they may wish to share to take part! There is also a reunion element to this, as you may get the opportunity to meet contemporaries from your time at the school. 🏫

We look forward to seeing you on March 3rd. Please note the evening will be held at the Village Hall - not at the school.





Chillerton & Gatcombe Community Association
Chillerton & Rookley Primary School
Rookley Village Association

03/12/2022

“Our view is that the school is being closed in all but name.”

“The federation and the local authority have not restored full provision to the site.”

“It’s disingenuous to say there’s not enough pupils at the school when the full provision is not being offered.”

“The purpose of a federation is to share resources. The school is federated with another school, so our view is, resources should be shared and distrubuted between the two schools.”

BBC interview on latest from Chillerton and Rookley Primary School (…interview starts at 2.10.56)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0ddc5vz

Supercharging your afternoon with news, guests, music, and Make a Difference stories.

29/09/2022

“A strong sense of community that is palpable in the village” said the Judges.

The same community who really supported saving the local village school…and what a lovely school it is! 🏫

Well done to all the residents of Chillerton & Gatcombe for achieving the amazing award for Overall Best Kept Village on the Isle of Wight AND Best Medium Village.

23/07/2022

What a lovely news story!

Congratulations to all the staff who have worked so hard on this. Onwards and upwards for this friendly, nurturing village school…🙌🏼

Keep up to date with the latest from the school, please LIKE the campaign FB page 🤝

Despite being under threat of closure for some years, leadership and staff at the primary school have been recognised for the hard work they’ve put in to achieve the best outcomes for the pupils

21/05/2022

🙌 T H I S W E E K‘S O B S E R V E R 🙌

Thank you one and all!

Save Our School - Chillerton & Rookley
Isle of Wight Observer
DebbieAndre4Sandown - Sandown North County Councillor
Isle of Wight Council





For the latest SOS info and messages, please LIKE the campaign FB page 🤝

11/05/2022

🙌 C H E E R S E V E R Y B O D Y 🙌

Please join us TOMORROW (Thursday 12th May)…

📸 Outside the school at 11am for a group photograph to share the good news with the press and beyond…

🍻 In The Gallybagger at 7pm to celebrate the school staying open with good cheer!

Very much look forward to seeing as many as possible, all welcome…especially the children - past, present and future. It’s be a long campaign journey, but we did it!




Please help us stay in touch with important school information and LIKE the campaign FB page 🤝

Save Our School - Chillerton & Rookley
Isle of Wight Observer
Chillerton & Rookley Primary School

10/05/2022

✋ T U N E I N T O Y O U R R A D I O 🤚

Save Our School campaigner Keith will be speaking with BBC Radio Solent today!

You can listen live via the link below…📻

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_radio_solent






To stay updated with the latest SOS information please LIKE and SHARE our page and posts 🤝

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p09h7yf5

09/05/2022

🤝 T H A N K Y O U A L L 🤝

The odds were stacked against us but we did it! The school in Chillerton will not close.

A lot of people have participated in the effort and Save Our School - Chillerton & Rookley would like to thank you all. This could not have happened without you.

Please see announcement below made today by Debbie Andre….

Statement for Cabinet regarding the future of Chillerton and Rookley Primary School

When this administration took office in May 2021 it inherited a consultation about the future of Chillerton and Rookley Primary School with an emphasis on the potential amalgamation with Godshill, therefore effectively closing Chillerton and Rookley.

Many members of the new administration were concerned by the consultation initiated by the previous administration and the direction of travel towards closure and made public commitments that they would do everything possible to prevent the closure of small village primary schools on the Island. We believe that schools are one of the fundamental pillars of a community and that they play a vital and central role in village life, especially within our rural communities. There are social as well as economic benefits to children of primary age attending local schools with small classes.

We intend to honour those commitments and in line with our corporate priority of providing local schools for local children, I can announce today that Chillerton and Rookley Primary School will remain open, and we won’t be proceeding with issuing a public notice to commence amalgamation with Godshill leading to closure.

This announcement ends the uncertainty around the future of the school, and we hope that more parents will want to apply for places at their local school, confident that there will be continuity in their child’s academic journey.

Throughout this period of uncertainty, the headteacher, staff and governors have continued, under difficult circumstances, to maintain the quality of education on offer at both Godshill and Chillerton and Rookley and I would like to pay tribute to their professionialism.

It is important that we continue to focus on improving the quality of education so that children experience high-quality provision including a rich and rounded curriculum. I have therefore asked officers to ensure the school is well supported moving forward so that it has the necessary capacity to deliver the ambitions we all share for our Island children.

Education Officers are now investigating options as to how we support our smaller and more rural primary schools so that they can be sustained during periods of falling numbers and financial challenges, particularly in light of the Government’s new White Paper on education. The Alliance Administration is committed to this course and I am working closely with the officers who have been tasked with working up viable proposals, so that they can be brought forward as soon as possible for consideration.

09/05/2022

⭐️ S C H O O L I S S A V E D ⭐️

Absolutely amazing news just in…

Chillerton & Rookley Primary School has been saved and will not be closing. Well done to everyone involved. We never gave up! What a great community effort 👏 👏 👏




Save Our School - Chillerton & Rookley
Stop The Merger

The threatened rural primary school looks to have been given a new lease of life.