THE fate of Townsend School could be sealed before councillors see a report on whether education there has improved.

The chair of the governors is upset that Bournemouth Borough Councillors could go ahead with their plans to close the school before they have read its most recent Ofsted.

The council's main argument for the school closure has been that it provides an inadequate education for the pupils. But the council will not delay the meetings discussing school's fate.

Chair of the governors of Townsend School, Andrew Rickett, said: "Moving the meetings until after the report is published would mess up the council's timetable but it would be worth it for the sake of the children's future.

"This report is into the standard of education now, not two years ago, and we think it's really important they consider it.

"Their arguments are based on the standard of education being inadequate and if the report confirms the school no longer needs to be in special measures, they have lost that argument."

But Cllr Malcolm Davies, the council's cabinet member for education, said: "The timetable is set in stone. It is pointless to comment on the Ofsted report because it is hypothetical."

Inspectors visited the school in February and will produce a report on all aspects of the education provided at the school.

It is unlikely to be made public until after the Investing in People overview panel meeting on March 27 and the cabinet meeting on April 2.

The council press office later released a statement from Cllr Malcolm Davies saying: "If the Ofsted report is published before cabinet make their final decision we will take the findings into consideration along with the evidence and feedback from the statutory consultation."

A spokesman for Ofsted said: "Inspectors are required to provide oral feedback on the last day of an inspection so that the school is aware of the provisional judgements made by the inspection team.

"Inspection reports are subject to Ofsted's quality assurance checks and the report on Townsend Primary School will be published on our website in due course. Publication dates for inspection reports are not negotiated with schools or local authorities."