Parents slam ‘unacceptable’ decision to close Sutton school for election

A parent has slammed a Sutton school and Sutton Council for closing the school on General Election Day, causing “significant disruption” and showing a “lack of planning effort”.

Muschamp Primary School and Language Opportunity Base, based in Muschamp Road, will close on July 4 so the school can be used as a polling station.

The school educates children with speech and language disorders and other neurodiversities such as ASD and ADHD, among others.

One parent, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: “The importance of having a regular routine for children and parents in these situations cannot be overstated.”

They continued to question why other places were not considered polling stations or why the school did not refuse the board’s request to use this school.

They added: “The short-sightedness in this planning process is unacceptable and the lack of consideration for the impact on our children and their education is deeply disturbing.

“The decision has caused significant disruption for parents and students, creating not only inconvenience but also an additional impact on our children’s education.

“Many parents struggle to arrange alternative childcare at such short notice, having already planned the holiday around the school timetable.

“While some may consider the one-day closure to be a minor issue, many parents are still aware of the impact that COVID-19 has had on schools and children’s education.

“I have no problem with the actions taken to manage the pandemic, but there is no doubt between myself and many other parents that school closures and disruptions have significantly affected children’s learning and development.”

This parent argued that many students are still catching up both academically and socially after missing classroom time during the pandemic, and that another day out of school will impact children’s education and well-being.

While the parents understand that publicly funded schools can be used as polling stations, in this situation they believe that “the organization and communication in this case was insufficient.”

They criticized the “short notice and lack of alternative arrangements” which “placed an undue burden on our school community”.

Instead, they are demanding that another publicly funded site be used instead, or that the school tell the board no.

They said: “There are certainly other sites in the local authority area that could be used without requiring the closure of an entire school.

“With proper planning and effort on the part of the organizers and the school, it seems feasible to be able to handle both the choices and the needs of the school in a safe way.”

A spokesman for Sutton Council said: “Due to the Government’s decision to call a general election at such short notice, many councils struggled to find suitable polling stations and had very little time to send out notice at the polling places.

“Muschamp School has always been the polling station for this area, but due to the room usually used being converted into a soft play area, the polling station has now had to move to the main school building.

“At the London election in May the Council was able to use Carshalton Boys School Hall, opposite Muschamp, but there are exams there next month so it is not available.

“The council has looked at other possible sites in the area but none are suitable.

“We know this is very disruptive and we want to apologize to students, parents and staff.

“We are trying as much as possible to avoid closing schools for the election, but unfortunately there is no other suitable venue in the area for this election.”

Your local tutor has contacted Muschamp Primary School and Language Opportunity Base for comment.