Britain's smallest school faces closure

THEY didn’t have enough children for Seven Dwarfs…but that was the least of the worries for the staff and pupils at England’s smallest school as they staged what could be their last ever Christmas play this week.

Snow White and the Flash Dwarfs may be their school s last play Snow White and the Flash Dwarfs may be their school’s last play.

For the past 250 years life in the ­highest village in England has revolved around the school.

Now that is under threat as education budgets are slashed. This year the number of pupils at Flash CE Primary, near Leek, Staffs, fell to seven pupils, the lowest in living memory.

Tory-run Staffordshire County Council has warned the school’s viability is a ­“serious concern” and it has begun a consultation process on options for the way forward with closure the likeliest.

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Locals say the school is the lifeblood of their rural community, sitting amid a dramatic and rugged landscape, perched 1,526 feet above sea level.

Without it they believe the very future of the village is in jeopardy and they are ready to fight for their future with the help of their Tory MP Karen Bradley.

Latest figures show 14 schools across Staffordshire have fewer than 50 pupils. For some villages the school is all they have left with post offices, shops and ­garages long since bitten the dust.

The future of Flash Primary came under the spotlight when the ­head left in September and the number of pupils fell from 12 to seven as older youngsters moved on to middle or secondary ­education. Class teacher Dehra ­Griffiths became acting head and she juggles running the school with four-and-a-half days a week teaching as well as being the school secretary. Her husband is the volunteer caretaker.

She said: “This is an isolated ­community with only around 300 people living here. The school is the lifeblood. Without it this would just be isolated houses with no heart.”

The Scots-born teacher has lived in the village for 27 years and knows what a struggle life can be high on the moors. She said: “It is such an important focal point. We put on lots of events with the church. We do the children proud. We want them to be keen to learn and to open their minds. The children are also kind and caring.”

Despite the limitations the school successfully staged Snow White and the Flash Dwarfs, but with the future uncertain Mrs Griffiths ­admitted it was a poignant production.

She said: “Sometimes I feel very positive about the future, but when all the news is about budgets and cutbacks it can be very hard to stay positive.

“The children were fantastic and ­everyone pulled together to make sure it was a fun experience. It will be ­terribly sad if it’s the last Christmas play we put on here. It means so much for this ­village to have its own school.”

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