FOR some of these two, three and four-year-olds, Forest School is one of the few times they play in a green space.

Around half of the pupils at Oakfield C of E Primary School are classed as disadvantaged, and many live in houses or flats without proper gardens in the eastern half of Ryde. For those families, the school is a godsend. Among other things, the beautiful grounds offer children the chance to explore nature and take part in team sports.

And Forest School is just one of the activities offered regularly at the school. Staff also help to feed hungry families, offer a safe space during school holidays, and help children to get free sailing lessons they couldn’t otherwise afford. The school has become a vital hub in its local community.

These are just some of the reasons why staff, pupils and parents were shocked when the Isle of Wight Council announced that Oakfield C of E Primary was one of six schools earmarked for closure, to deal with an island-wide problem of surplus places. Three of the six schools are church schools – the others are Brading C of E Primary and Arreton St George’s C of E Primary.

Bishop Jonathan and our diocese’s Board of Education are opposing the plans, arguing that all C of E schools offer a distinctively Christian ethos – and that there are specific reasons for all three of our schools to remain open.

Vikki Reader was appointed as headteacher at Oakfield C of E Primary in 2020. She challenged staff to rethink the way they educated children, as it caters for one of the highest areas of poverty on the island. Since then, it has set up a nursery, meaning they now cater for children aged two to 11, created the Community Food Pantry, and opened its Forest School.

Test results overall for its 11-year-olds are below the average for the Isle of Wight and nationwide. But Oakfield caters for the highest number of disadvantaged children of any primary school on the island, with 45 per cent claiming free school meals. Almost a quarter of its 11-year-olds this summer were unable to even access the tests, yet their results were included in the overall statistics.

Campaigners have also pointed out that Oakfield is the only primary in the eastern half of Ryde, and that families – many of whom don’t have cars – would have to walk almost two miles on hilly terrain to reach alternative schools. The nearest CofE school is Brading Primary, which is 4.2 miles away and is also scheduled for closure.

It has also proved itself to be very good at being a church school. A Church inspector recently gave it an ‘excellent’ grading, praising its Christian vision and ethos, as well as bold decisions in learning and inventive ways to enhance wellbeing. The school has good links with the new team of clergy that are developing our churches in Ryde, and the Rev David Morgan visits regularly to lead collective worship.