In large cities, a school can weave itself into the fabric of its locality almost without anyone noticing it’s there. But in smaller towns and villages a school, particularly a large one, can play a much greater part in the day-to-day life of its inhabitants.
In some towns and villages, the school is even the focal point. Take Peaslake in the Surrey Hills. In 1993, the village school was closed down as it was considered ‘too small’ to be viable. When a campaign by local residents and parents to keep it open failed and government funding was removed, the Peaslake Schools Trust was formed.
For three years the school operated in a private home; then, in 1996, the original school buildings were reclaimed by the school, thanks to the efforts of 18 households who raised more than £180,000. In 1997 it returned to its previous buildings, and in 2013 the school became part of the maintained sector again, as a free school.
Parents of Peaslake pupils play an active role in school duties, with a particular emphasis on fundraising.
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