This is believed to be Britain’s smallest SCHOOL – which due to a population dip has just 13 pupils.
Only seven girls and six boys are on the register of Bleasdale Church of England Primary School near Preston, Lancs.
But despite the small class sizes, the pupils aged four to 11, enjoy extensive facilities, including recently refurbished classrooms, extensive ground and home-cooked meals.
The school’s website boasts: “We offer a caring small school setting based on Christian values in the beautiful Forest of Bowland.”
Numbers at the school dramatically dropped when the number of farms in the Bleasdale hills dropped from 26 to just six.
Headteacher Ian Cookson, who is also head of another small school and splits his time between the two, said : “When people say small schools are like a big family it can get a bit corny, but actually my two small schools really are —
it’s a really nice atmosphere and because they are both church aided schools you can be quite open about your own personal faith and you hope that will have a positive impact on the school community.”
The students are taught in two classes and their unique learning environment means they benefit from weekly swimming sessions and receive weekly specialist PE and sports coaching.
Eric Ollerenshaw, MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood, praised the advantages such child centred education brings.
He said: “You’ve only got to visit them to see the huge advantage of being educated in such an amazing environment.
“It’s education second to none – looking at a gem up here in the hills. It’s an amazing start in life.
“It’s trying to get some of the opportunities for people growing up in an urban environment to get an education in this kind of rural environment. It’s this huge potential in these village schools.”
