A rural Nottinghamshire school with just eight pupils is set to be kept open for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
In March, it was announced that Dean Hole Church of England Primary School in the village of Caunton would close from August 31, 2026, due to “potential significant financial and operational difficulties”.
The decision was made at a Nottinghamshire County Council cabinet meeting on March 4 – a decision called a “kick in the teeth” by Conservative opposition.
The rural village of Caunton is located six miles north-west of Newark, and the small school is a voluntary-controlled school with only eight pupils attending.
According to council documents, seven of the eight pupils do not live within the school’s catchment area, and five have an Education, Health and Care (EHCP) plan, with a sixth student applying for one.
On Thursday (March 19), it was formally announced at the authority’s council meeting that the original plan to close the site as a primary school still stands, but the space would act as a “satellite” education facility for the children at Dean Hole with identified special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
This means staff and pupils who will still use the site will be on the roll for Newark Orchard Special School.
Anne Coyle, Executive Director of Children and Families at the council said: “We’re talking about a plan for two years, for the current children who have the highest need at the school that would otherwise have to be placed much further away due to their current EHCP needs.
“Longer term, the units, pupils and staff will move to the site nearer to Newark.”
Speaking in Thursday’s council meeting, Councillor Simon Wright, cabinet member for education and SEND, said: “Children [at the school] without SEND needs have places in local mainstream primary schools.”
He said the authority recognises the decision to close the school has been “extremely upsetting”, adding: “I am genuinely sorry for the distress and uncertainty this has caused.
“We’re working closely with families to ensure all pupils are supported to move to the appropriate alternative provision and with Newark Orchard Special School to secure suitable specialist placements in line with parental preferences.
“While the school is not suitable for long-term SEND use, we recognise the strength of feeling locally to avoid children having to travel long distances.”
The County Council has now confirmed that specialist SEND provision will continue on the Caunton site for at least the next two years, with Newark’s Orchard Special School establishing a satellite provision to support pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans.
The decision comes after weeks of mounting concern about the Reform’s original proposal, which would have seen the closure of a functioning SEND setting despite a shortage of specialist places across the county.
Conservative Councillor Bruce Laughton, who led the campaign to keep the school open, repeatedly challenged senior council officers, met directly with families and pupils, and raised serious concerns about both the process and the rationale behind the closure.
Councillor Bruce Laughton said: “This is a clear U-turn on Reform’s closure decision, and it has only happened because families spoke out and we refused to let this decision go unchallenged.”
“Reform Councillors were prepared to close what is, in reality, a functioning SEND school without having proper alternative provision in place. That was never acceptable.”
• Eight-pupil village school could close in August 2026
“I met with parents and children who were genuinely distressed and fearful about what would happen next. One child simply shouted at me, ‘Don’t close my school.’ That is the human reality behind these decisions, and it cannot be ignored.”
Councillor Laughton had also raised serious concerns about the financial logic behind the original proposal, warning that it risked becoming a false economy.
“Reform’s justification for closure appeared to be short-term savings, yet at the same time the Council is funding individual alternative placements that can cost in the region of £100,000 per year.”
“When you look at the numbers, it simply didn’t add up. You cannot close a school that is working and then replace it with far more expensive provision elsewhere. That is not sound financial management – it is short-sighted decision-making.”
The revised plan will allow pupils with complex needs to remain supported on the Caunton site, with existing staff continuing in their roles and greater stability for families.
Councillor Laughton added: “This outcome is a direct result of the determination of parents, the bravery of the children, and sustained pressure from local Conservatives.
“Families made it absolutely clear that this school was meeting their children’s needs in a way that could not easily be replicated elsewhere. They were right to fight for it, and I am proud to have stood alongside them.
“This should also serve as a lesson. Decisions of this scale cannot be driven by chasing savings on paper. You have to look at the bigger picture – the real costs, the impact on families, and whether the provision is actually working.
“In this case, it was working – and that is why it has been saved.”
Councillor Laughton also welcomed commitments to retain community use of the site, ensuring that local groups will continue to benefit from the facilities.
“The school is an important part of the wider community, and I am pleased that its role will continue for both pupils and local residents.
“This is a victory for common sense, but above all it is a victory for the families who refused to accept a decision that would have had a lasting negative impact on their children.”
Local Conservatives have confirmed they will continue to monitor the situation closely and push for a long-term, sustainable future for SEND provision in the area.
