Following a hard fought campaign from parents, carers and the wider community, the consultation recommending the closure of the St George’s CE primary school site in Langton Matravers in Dorset, has been scrapped.
The multi academy trust Coastal Learning Partnership (CLP) had launched a surprise consultation proposing to merge St George’s with St Mark’s CE primary school on the St Mark’s site in nearby Swanage, but on Friday 26th June 2026 it announced it had stopped the consultation process with immediate effect.
St George’s has always operated as a small village school offering an alternative to larger primaries in the area
Financial challenge of running the two schools
The first parents heard of the proposal was at the beginning of June 2026 when an email was sent from the academy trust citing the financial challenge of running the two schools with the ongoing fall in pupil numbers.
However the resulting campaign to save St George’s from effective closure, and to save the village from becoming a retirement and holiday let dormitory, has only served to shine a light on the two schools’ academic and admissions data.
The consultation also created uncertainty for parents from both schools, many who had started to look at other local schools for their children, which would have reduced pupil numbers further.
A campaign was quickly set up in Langton Matravers
The community felt the move was an attack on village life as well as the school
“Trustees will now take time to reflect on the feedback received”
A spokesperson for the multi academy trust Coastal Learning Partnership said:
“The board of trustees has decided to stop the current consultation regarding the future of St George’s CE primary school and St Mark’s CE primary school with immediate effect.
“This decision has not been taken lightly. Since the consultation began, we have received significant feedback from parents, staff and other community stakeholders. We are grateful to everyone who has engaged with the process, attended meetings, submitted responses and shared their views.
“Having reviewed the feedback, we believe we have gathered sufficient information to understand the range of perspectives within our communities and inform our future thinking.
“We have therefore concluded that continuing this consultation in its current form would not provide additional benefit and could risk extending concern and speculation around the current proposals.
“The level of engagement has demonstrated how deeply both schools are valued. We recognise that the proposals have prompted strong feelings and constructive debate, reflecting the importance of these schools to the communities they serve, and we are grateful to everyone who engaged with the consultation.
“While the consultation is now being brought to a close, the underlying challenges that led us to begin this process remain. Like many schools around the country, particularly those serving rural communities, St George’s and St Mark’s continue to face the significant impact of declining pupil numbers and the pressures this creates for both financial sustainability and the delivery of high-quality education.
“There are no plans for structural changes between the two schools in either the 2026/27 or 2027/28 academic years as a result of this decision. Both schools will continue to operate separately under their existing shared leadership arrangements.
“Our immediate priority is to provide stability for pupils, families and staff while ensuring both schools continue to provide a positive educational experience.
“Trustees will now take time to reflect on the feedback received and consider a range of possible options for the future. Any future proposals would be subject to appropriate engagement and consultation with those affected.”
A meeting of the community in the Langton Matravers village hall was packed
Many left deeply upset
While relieved at the outcome, many parents have been left deeply upset by the process which was sprung on them, with little notice.
A substantial amount of time and effort has gone into the community response to the consultation, with many juggling the challenge of their jobs and looking after their young children, while trying to understand why the preferred option of the multi academy trust was to effectively close St George’s – a thriving village school offering a distinctive education in a nurturing environment, producing the best SATS results in the local area.
The focus of the campaign group is now to ensure that the threat of closure to St George’s has been permanently lifted, and it’s not just a temporary reprieve.
The village school was found just over 150 years ago
The school remains central to the life of the village and the church
“No acknowledgement or apology from the Coastal Learning Partnership”
In a statement the St George’s campaign group said:
“We welcome the cancellation of the consultation as a result of the strong opposition from parents, carers, and the wider community.
“However it is deeply concerning that this could have all been avoided without a damaging and poorly prepared process. There has been no acknowledgement or apology from the Coastal Learning Partnership surrounding this.
“St George’s is such a great school and we don’t want this consultation to continue to hang over the current parents, or future parents’ choices.
“To ensure this, we are calling for urgent and transparent engagement with the Coastal Learning Partnership to formally recognise us as a parent and carer body and to work collaboratively with us to develop a sustainable future for the school in its current form, so the voices of families are central to any future decision-making.”
In addition, we are urging the Coastal Learning Partnership to issue an urgent update confirming there will be no re-run of the consultation process. Alternatively, and at the very least, the CLP should confirm that no such process will be run within the next eight years, being the period it takes a child to progress from pre-school to leaving St George’s.
MP for South Dorset Lloyd Hatton wants to hear the concerns of the community
MP holding meeting for the community
A community meeting about the issue organised by local MP Lloyd Hatton is going ahead as planned at Langton Matravers village hall from 11 am to 12.30 pm on Saturday 27th June 2026.
Everyone from both schools and the communities of Langton Matravers and Swanage are invited to attend.
Further information
- Read the Coastal Learning Partnership letters and consultation documents
- Follow the Save the Village and Save St George’s campaign on Facebook
- Websites of St George’s and St Mark’s primary schools
