Issue - meetings

[Report of the Director of Children's Services. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Children and Families]

This report sets out the result of the statutory representation period on the proposal to amalgamate Stamford Hill Primary with Tiverton Primary School.

The Cabinet Member for Children and Families introduced this report which set out the result of the statutory representation period on the proposal to amalgamate Stamford Hill Primary with Tiverton Primary School.

The Cabinet Member highlighted that this report was the final in a series of reports that had been presented to Cabinet over the amalgamation of Stamford Hill Primary with Tiverton Primary. All required consultations had now taken place and the report sought the formal agreement of Cabinet to agree the amalgamation from September 2020.

RESOLVED

1. To note that no comments or objections were received during the 4-week representation period despite consulting widely with all relevant parties.

2. To note the revenue budget to operate Stamford Hill Primary School successfully in the future is severely diminished with the school’s very low pupil numbers.

3. To note the equalities impact assessment at Appendix 4.

4. To approve the proposal to amalgamate Stamford Hill Primary School with Tiverton Primary School. This will mean the closure of Stamford Hill Primary School from 31 August 2020 with displaced pupils transferring to Tiverton Primary School at the beginning of the 2020/21 academic year.

The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny has agreed that the call-in procedure shall not apply to this decision as the action being taken is urgent and time critical and any delay in implementation caused by the call-in procedure would seriously prejudice the Council's or the public's interests. This is in accordance with Part 4, Section H, and Paragraph 18 (a) and (b) of the Council Constitution.

Reasons for recommendation

Following an ‘inadequate’ inspection judgement by Ofsted in November 2018, the Regional Schools Commissioner, on behalf of the Secretary of State and the Department of Education, placed a directive academy order on the school. Since April 2016, the Department has issued directive academy orders to maintained schools that Ofsted has rated as inadequate. Its aims for these schools to open as sponsored academies.

Significant concerns were raised about the long-term sustainability of Stamford Hill Primary School in terms of the vulnerability of its financial stability and its historic ability to attract pupils to the school. Based on the low level of demand for school places locally and the expected future declining demand, the Council considers that Stamford Hill Primary and other local schools will continue to face difficult financial challenges because classes won’t be full. Schools are largely funded on a ‘per pupil’ basis i.e. how many pupils attend the school.

The Council has a duty of care to ensure children in its schools are able to receive a good education and to access the full curriculum. A school with a declining roll will be challenged to do this effectively because of inevitable financial pressures from reduced funding.

Schools in the local area currently have a significant surplus of places and current school roll projections do not indicate any future demographic growth before 2026/27 and possibly beyond. In view of this, the Regional Schools Commissioner agreed for the Council to consider alternative options in parallel  ...  view the full minutes text for item 164