The letter from Liam Plumridge (Echo, November 29) suggests that he is a relative newcomer to this area and has little knowledge of the history of schooling in Clare and its surrounding villages. Firstly, though, I correct him on one aspect of his letter.
Clare is not a 'small village'. Its current occupancy is just under 2,000, making it a quite large conurbation. It has a town charter, issued to it as long ago as the 11th century by William the Conqueror, if not much earlier. It has several larg
e shops, a very viable post office (so far, though politics may scupper that) and is a vibrant TOWN with much to recommend it.
Describing Clare as a 'small village and fortunate to have a middle school' is obviously wrong and, in the circumstances, perhaps rather mischievous.
Clare Middle School was here before we moved in, which was February 1983. It was built before the current Clare Primary School, which was also here before we came to Clare. I believe that the current middle school dates from 1955, when it was installed as a secondary school.
It expanded its activities to encompass not just the children of Clare but also of many surrounding villages. These included Wickhambrook, Stanstead, Glemsford and many others. It is therefore not new and neither does it relate just to Clare.
Certainly, most villages in the UK do not have a secondary school. The reason is simple – there are not, and will never be, enough children to justify one such school per village. It is reasonable, though, to argue that there is just cause for a secondary school to exist in every town. Clare is a town, as we have already established, or, rather, as the monarchs of England have established.
Children do have to travel to school. However, Clare is very well situated to minimise such travel. All Clare children are within walking distance of Clare Middle School, whatever their mums may think. Travelling to Clare from other villages will be much shorter than driving to Haverhill.
Abolishing Clare Middle School in favour of Haverhill will only increase travel, with the subsequent increase in traffic movements, congestion and environmental pollution. I understand from reliable sources that Suffolk County Councillors have not considered these points of congestion and pollution. The cost of transport is not really relevant. Whether such costs are covered by 'free' transport makes no difference.
The important points are convenience, time and the environment. Some parents in Haverhill actually CHOOSE to send their children to Clare Middle School.
I doubt whether its continued existence in any future capacity will result in many more parents so deciding. I doubt also whether 'half of Haverhill's students'would travel to Clare. I suspect that they would travel in the Cambridge direction or maybe south to Essex.
There must be enough children in west Suffolk to cater for three secondary schools. There will be no need to close either school in Haverhill, nor the one in Clare.
Currently Clare Middle School does not have 'a very small number of students'. It is very well occupied. The standard of education is also good, as it is with Samuel Ward and Castle Manor schools/colleges.
Both my sons went to Samuel Ward and they turned out alright! Without a straw poll I do not know but I suspect that very few parents living in Clare feel that Haverhill schools are '...not good enough for them'. I am sure that such comments will cause parents to feel insulted by the writer.
The closure of Clare Middle School might not be exactly 'catastrophic' for Clare but it would be very detrimental indeed. Parents currently shop in Clare, as do teachers and general school staff.
Some parents actually choose to move to Clare because it has a middle school catering for children up to age 13. The absence of a school would halt all of that, resulting in the collapse and closure of a number of businesses. Keith Haisman is therefore quite correct.
Closure would 'rip the heart out of the Clare community'. It is not 'somewhat exaggerated'. After all, reading between the lines, that is what Mr Plumridge fears will happen to Haverhill if one of its middle schools were to close.
While parents from Haverhill spending money in Clare would be welcome, it would have a resulting detrimental effect on Haverhill and that would be just as wrong as Clare parents spending their money in Haverhill shops instead of in Clare.
Closure of Clare Middle School would be wrong in many respects. The education of children would be interrupted. Clare would lose trade and therefore businesses may be forced to close or at least to restrict their activities. Traffic would increase on the roads between Haverhill and surrounding villages to its east. Pollution would therefore increase. Why? To satisfy some political edict which has nothing to do with education.
It does seem strange that a system which Suffolk County Council praised not too long ago as being extremely good value for money and was working well in educating children should now be regarded by those same people as being so bad that it must be scrapped with haste. That is almost the definition of 'politics'. Yes, Mr Plumridge, it is 'as bad as you think' and you know that it is.
Ron Longland, Clare
