TOWNSEND Primary School's head teacher had to tell the children their school is going to close.

The final chapter in the school's 31-year history will end on the last day of this term, July 22.

But head teacher Steve Jessop said he would not have missed his experience at the helm of Townsend for anything.

He said: "Despite the hard work, tragedy and uncertainty I would not swap the year I have had at Townsend for anything."

"I feel proud of all the efforts of the staff, children and parents who have contributed to the improvements the school has made in the last year.

"The children have been fantastic and have responded brilliantly to the challenges we set them."

He also paid tribute to his predecessor and deputy David Vooght-Simpson.

He said: "It is now time to move on and ensure that the children are as well prepared as possible for the changes ahead and to support the parents in adapting to the changes which must now come."

Come September many of Townsend's children will be off to new schools, wearing new uniforms and hoping to make new friends, but some are likely to be kept at home.

Dad-of-four Luke Wilson from Townsend has decided to educate his children at home.

He said: "I don't want to use the council's transport arrangements and our car is just not big enough to get all our children to school.

"The mood among the parents is very sombre. There is a general feeling of disbelief."

However, the community must soon overcome this disbelief and think hard about uses for the school building in the future.

The ward councillors want to convert the building into an expanded community centre for sport, art and education.

Having lost the fight to save the school in its current form Conservative councillor Michael Weinhonig is drumming up support for a School for Performing Arts and Sports, which he is calling Spartans. The plan includes sports coaching, art classes, adult education and moving a doctors' surgery to the site.

Community activities that currently take place in the school, including Boredom Busters, would continue.

The scheme would involve the council providing £55,000 start-up capital and additional money over the first few years.

Once the project is running income would be generated by renting some parts of the building to businesses and renting some rooms for activities.

Townsend Community Association, which manages the existing community centre, would also manage this project with the help of a full time paid co-ordinator.

Director for children and families' services at Bournemouth Council, Jane Portman, said: "A community centre would be a positive direction. We need to develop resources for the community. The council will continue this idea and any others."

She added that in future the council could make more use of expert teachers from other local schools to help turn failing schools around.

Mr Wilson said: "I think it would be good to keep the premises from being built on. A community centre would be good in theory but people generally wanted a school more than anything else."

  • A consultation meeting on the Spartans plan will be held at the community centre in Jewell Road on June 14 at 2pm.