SOUTH

This section focuses on South Northamptonshire. It includes most of South Northamptonshire District, excluding some villages to the east of the district that are linked to in District, such as , Denton, Little Houghton and . On the other hand, it includes some villages on the fringe of Borough that are linked to South Northamptonshire secondary schools, .such as , Hardingstone, Upton and Wootton.

Current position The two market towns in this area, and are served by Sponne and Magdalen College Secondary Schools respectively. Caroline Chisholm, Campion and Schools serve the area to the west and south- west of Northampton. There are also secondary schools at (Chenderit) and (Kingsbrook). The schools provide 1,444 places per year group.

Throughout this area, primary schools range in size from some of the smallest schools in the county (fewer than 50 pupils on roll) to oversubscribed 2 f.e. schools such as Nicholas Hawksmoor (Towcester). There are two pairs of Infant and Junior Schools, in Brackley (Waynflete Infant and Brackley C.E. Junior) and . The schools provide 1,587 places per year group.

There is one special school in South Northamptonshire, The Gateway School at . This is a secondary school for pupils with behaviour, emotional and social difficulties. It admits pupils primarily from Northampton, and south . There is a specialist speech and language provision at Nicholas Hawksmoor.

Pupils who require other specialist provision must travel to either Daventry or Northampton. Pupils also cross the county boundary or access other out of authority provision.

Enrolment rates Enrolment rates in this area vary greatly. A number of factors need to be taken into account: This is the most prosperous area of Northamptonshire. A high proportion of pupils are educated in the private sector; The area borders other local authorities. Parental preferences are not constrained by county boundaries; Buckinghamshire operates a selective system of secondary education.

The effect of the private sector is greatest in Towcester and Brackley where only around 85% of children living in the area are enrolled in the primary schools. By contrast, enrolments in the Middleton Cheney area primary schools exceed the number of residents by 20%; at Deanshanger the excess is 7%. This is a result of pupils crossing the border from () and respectively. Primary schools in the Campion and Roade areas

admit significant numbers of pupils from Northampton (around 3fe and 2fe respectively).

Patterns of transfer at age 11 are complex. Most of the schools admit pupils from outside their linked area. The average transfer rate for Magdalen is 100%, but this figure masks a significant outflow into the grammar school in Buckingham and an inflow of Buckinghamshire pupils. Kingsbrook School used to admit pupils from the Milton Keynes area but this pattern has changed recently. A large number of pupils from outside Northampton obtain places at Northampton School for Boys.

Pupil numbers Towcester - Pupil numbers at Sponne School fell from 1,281 in 2002-03 to 1,140 in 2007-08 (around 180 per year group), but have since recovered to 1,221 in 2009-10. There is capacity for 210 pupils per year group. Over the same period primary rolls in the town have declined from 810 to 661. Brackley - Primary rolls in Brackley town have also reduced since 2002-03 from 1,360 then to 1,029 in January 2010. The roll at Magdalen College School has, however, been on an upward trend increasing from 1406 to 1,481 over the same period, as the demand from outside the area ensures almost all places are filled. Deanshanger and Middleton Cheney - Chenderit’s roll has increased from 995 in 2002-03 to 1,148 in 2009-10 due to its popularity with parents from outside Northamptonshire, particularly for its sixth form. On the other hand the roll at Kingsbrook has fallen from 1,009 in 2002-03 to 856 in 2009-10 as the school has become less popular with parents from outside the county. , Roade and Wootton Fields - The roll at Campion School, Bugbrooke and its linked primary schools has been fairly stable since 2002-03. A new all-through school, , opened in Wootton Fields in September 2004. The primary and secondary roll in the area linked to Caroline Chisholm has increased in recent years related to the impact of significant housing developments in Grange Park and Wootton Fields. However, Roade School has experienced a decline in rolls, from 1,542 in 2002- 03 to 1,072 in 2009-10 because of a falling demand from within and outside its area. A proposal to change linked areas from September 2013 was recently approved by the Council’s Cabinet.

Planned growth Towcester is designated as a growth town. A development of 3,000 homes is planned for an area to the south of town. There is a possibility of further housing development beyond the initial 3,000 homes. In Brackley, a planning application is expected for around 1,200 homes to the north of the town, known as Fields.

As has already been mentioned in the Northampton section, the level and location of growth around Northampton is currently uncertain. This may impact on numbers at Campion, Caroline Chisholm and Roade Schools.

The effect of growth The state of the housing market makes prediction difficult but projections have been based on the annual rate of housing completions in Towcester reaching

an average of 300 completions early in the next decade. Primary rolls are likely to decline until around 2011 before increasing rapidly to about 1,680 (8 f.e.) once the new development is complete.

Secondary numbers may also decline slightly for another year or so. A significant impact on secondary numbers from new housing is not likely to be seen until the second half of the next decade, when numbers will exceed the accommodation available. The new housing will add around 4 f.e., giving an overall demand from the Towcester schools area of 10 f.e.

In Brackley town, births have declined from 200 in 2001-02 to around 150 in the last two years. The new housing is likely to produce around 40-45 children per year group. The overall long-term effect on pupil numbers in the area may well therefore be neutral. In the short-term, primary rolls may well fall a little further. If current patterns of enrolment continue, Magdalen College School would have more places available to pupils from outside the area until pupils from the new development increase the local demand.

Primary provision Towcester – There are currently two 2 f.e. primary schools in the town (Nicholas Hawksmoor and Towcester C.E.). An additional 4 f.e. will be required. Two sites are earmarked for primary schools on the new development, one of which is adjacent to the site for a new secondary provision (see below). The Towcester Education Forum (which consists of the schools in the town and a wide range of other stakeholders) has identified a number of alternatives for the configuration of primary education in the town. These include:

Four separate 2 f.e. schools, two of which would be new; Expansion and re-location of both existing schools to 4 f.e. A combination of one new school and an enlargement of the existing schools. It should be noted that, due to site constraints, it would be difficult to expand Nicholas Hawksmoor or Towcester CE Primary schools in their current location.

Consideration will be given within the agreed development for further unit or resourced provision.

Brackley – Although there is unlikely to be an overall increase in the requirement for places, the new development at Radstone Fields is likely to require some re-organisation of primary provision as there will be an excess of places in the south of the town and insufficient places in the north. A site for a 2 f.e. primary has been reserved. There are a number of alternative options including the relocation of an existing school to Radstone Fields.

Silverstone – Both the Infant and Junior Schools are on restricted sites with poor access. The roll is a little below 1 f.e.. The schools operate under a successful federation arrangement with one Headteacher and Governing Body. It has not been possible to produce an acceptable plan for an amalgamated school on either site.

Other villages – There is some uncertainty about the level of growth in villages in South Northamptonshire and around Northampton. Some villages may experience sufficient growth to require extensions to current provision. Extensions are under construction at Caroline Chisholm (primary section) and Woodland View Primary School to accommodate recent growth in the area.

Secondary provision Towcester - The key issue in this area is the requirement for additional secondary provision in Towcester. Based on the 8 f.e. of primary pupils in the town once the development is complete and 2.5. f.e. in the linked villages, it is likely that a Secondary School of around 1,500 places (11-16), plus post-16 provision, will be required (around 1,900 in total). Again, a number of alternatives have been put forward, including:

A) Expand Sponne on its current site B) Expand and re-locate Sponne School onto the new development; C) Establish a new secondary school on the new development; D) Provide additional secondary accommodation on the new development, with Sponne School managing both sites.

Brackley – The main issue is the split site nature of Magdalen School. Work on a masterplan for the town has identified this as an issue. A number of alternatives have been proposed, including:

A) Magdalen remains on two sites B) Move Magdalen to a new site on the edge of town C) Consolidate Magdalen on the St John’s site and utilise land adjoining the site

Middleton Cheney and Deanshanger - No significant developments are expected to impact on secondary provision in these areas, although any developments across the county boundary will need to continue to be monitored.

Bugbrooke, Roade and Wootton Fields – The level and location of growth around Northampton will need to continue to be monitored.

Special Provision

As cross-border schools have changed their admissions criteria, consideration must now be given to the development of a unit or resourced provision in the Towcester or Brackley area.