Summary

Online Responses Are you in favour of the proposal? What is your interest in the proposal? No Yes (blank) Grand Total % Local Resident 6 13 1 20 21% Local Resident, Other, please specify 2 1 3 3% Other, please specify 1 1 1% Parent 10 28 38 40% Parent, Local Resident 12 15 27 28% Parent, Local Resident, Other, please specify 1 1 1% Pupil* 4 4 4% (blank) 1 1 2 2% Grand Total 35 60 1 96 36% 63% 1%

Email Responses including Letters Are you in favour of the proposal? What is your interest in the proposal? No Yes (blank) Grand Total % Local Resident 5 4 9 9% (blank) 2 2 2% Parent 2 1 2 5 5% Parent, Local Resident 1 1 1% Grand Total 10 1 6 17 10% 1% 6%

Hardcopy Responses None

Total: Are you in favour of the proposal? No Yes (blank) Grand Total Grand Total 45 61 7 113 40% 54% 6%

Response Themes  Negative to ethos of school, will disturb the community feel of the small school/ parents specifically sent children to small school  Disruption to children's day - as has occurred with temporary classroom/School life disturbed during building work  Space will be compromised, i.e. playtime, after school and PE / affects outdoor area/field/wildlife  Site too small / School buildings and grounds too small/Pressure on resources e.g. library  Quality of life not as good in an expanded school  Outstanding status will fall/impact on education/ quality of teaching will fall  Fear that the current management cannot cope  Congested roads around drop off and pick up/ Additional traffic will cause safety issues/ uneven pavements plus additional traffic will cause accidents  Parking issues outside school / more noise and mess at pick up and drop off times for local residents.  Don’t need places - problem in Boldmere area not Maney Hill  Not enough notice for residents to make comment  Local children will benefit by being able to go to a local school  Maney Hill oversubscribed which indicates how popular it is so should be expanded  Children have not been able to get into any of their 1st, 2nd or 3rd choice schools in the past so expansion needed.  Children cannot get into a school within walking distance  Good for childs development for local children to go to local schools  Distressing to not know if you have got a place at school until the very last minute due to being on a waiting list  Maney Hill has physical space to support expansion  High demand for places in area and at Maney Hill  Sutton has needed places for some time  Should not be a problem with traffic as local children will be able to attend Maney Hill and they can walk this will ease traffic and promote healthy lifestyle

BeHeard Responses

What is What is your Are you Are you in favour of the proposal? - Please give details your interest in in favour interest the proposal? of the in the - other, proposal? proposal? please - interest specify Local No I do not think it is a good idea to expand the school. Resident This is not good for the children or the residents. More cars, more traffic jams, we need more schools building, not enlarging the ones we have that have functioned perfectly well for 50 years as they are. Cramming more kids in will affect resources and space, confining children and giving them less room to play and less individuality. The traffic in Walmley is already dreadful at school time and this will make it worse. There is not enough parking for even more children. It will make the road more dangerous and dfifficult to get through. Build new schools, don't ruin the great ones we have. Local No More traffic and parking problems/dangers contributing to an already congested road during school drop off and pick up. Resident Increased danger to pupils during school drop off and pick up Additional traffic during after school activites Noise and mess during construction increasing road traffic safety especially during school pick up and drop off times

Local No There is already lots of traffic after only one class extra. The school is barely able to accommodate the extra 30 (my cousin Resident attends in reception). Local No I am writing to oppose the proposed expansion of Maney Hill School from 210 to 420 pupils. Adding additional class/classes will Resident have a negative impact on the ethos of the School, its children and the community. I have extensive knowledge of the school and local community. I attended Maney Hill in the 1970s and returned to very near the school 16 years ago, specifically so that my four daughters could have the nurturing experience of being educated at a small school. Over the last 16 years I have helped with school grounds, children's reading, been on countless trips, theme days and PTA events. As a level 3 teaching assistant I volunteered to help individuals, small groups and classes through all year groups. I happily gave up my time as it was such a friendly, family based school. Maney Hill School still has an outstanding OFSTED award but it is almost 7 years out of date and does not reflect the school currently. Recently the Head Teacher has changed; the Deputy Head Teacher has left as have a large number of teaching staff. The majority of the governing body has changed including the head governor. (Rob Crosson is also head governor at Whitehouse Common School which is also likely to expand against their communities wishes). I feel the decision to expand was made by people with little connection and knowledge of the school and its community. Due to recent changes there is ill feeling amongst the wider school community. Residents, parents and the wider community will be affected by the lack of space on the streets, extra traffic, parking problems and the traffic bottlenecks any expansion will bring. Residents already have concerns over increased car usage, inconsiderate street parking and parking on private land, traffic congestion, child welfare and safety. Residents chose to live on a quiet, residential road with a small school. Maney Hill Road is now busy because of increased car usage by parents and school events regularly held during the day, evenings, weekends and recently during school holidays, without notice. The extra 30 children from September 2015 have had a great impact on traffic. Any further expansion will create even more congestion and danger. No effort had been made by the school or Birmingham council to inform residents of initial plans to expand. I believe that pressure from residents and a local counsellor led to a meeting being arranged in October 2015, after the school had already been expanded by one class. However, only residents from a very limited area have been contacted. Namely households in Corncrake Close, Shooters Hill, Mottrams Close, 109-167 Maney Hill Road (odds) 120-176 Maney Hill Road (evens) 82-98 East View Road. Expansion of Maney Hill School will affect a much wider area with increased parking and traffic. Residents further along Maney Hill Road and connecting Roads e.g. Rowan Road, Pilkington Avenue, Wylde Green Road, Shipton Road, Blackwell Road, Kempson Avenue etc will feel the effects and should be consulted. Residents have valid worries that any expansion (or threat of) will affect the saleability and value of homes. Maney Hill School is in Trinity Ward. The Birmingham Education Sufficiency Requirements 2014 to 2019 shows that there is no or minimal requirement for additional school places in Trinity ward. If places are needed for other Sutton Coldfield wards then perhaps schools need to be built on brown field sites. Building on school fields and increasing pupil numbers will deprive children of the environment they need to thrive. The current site is ideal for 210 children as noted on plans to provide additional space in 2008. It is important to save playing fields so children have the opportunity to run, play and enjoy sports and team games. Expansion will deny future children and parents the ethos, experience and opportunities of a small school. More parking and additional traffic will be intolerable for countless people. I implore you not to further expand Maney Hill Primary School. Local No I do not believe the numbers. Permanent buildings and traffic management might be at our expense and damage the area and Resident us.

Local No I must make it clear at this early stage that I am not against expansion of schools in the right place at the right time and for the Resident right reasons. I have studied the consultation document the education sufficiency document which does not support the need for expansion in this ward and attended one of the belatedly arranged drop in sessions. I wish to acknowledge and thank the education and planning staff who ran this session but must also state that the absence of the Head teacher from such an important meeting was also noted. The school itself is a prime location for expansion. There is adequate space for increasing the school footprint and providing additional and adequate parking spaces for all staff including those attending the lollipops nursery which rents space from the school. The biggest and most pressing issue which prevents me from agreeing with the proposal is one of health and safety. This is entirely based upon the access to the school within Maney Hill road and is centred upon traffic congestion created mainly by the parents of the existing 210 pupils that attend the school. The configuration of this residential road particularly between the school and Pilkington Avenue creates extreme hazards when cars are parked on both sides of the road at the same time leaving only a single file route between them. Cars parked with one set of wheels on the footpath in certain parts of the road also restricts access for pedestrians and I believe is against the law. However not parking on the footpath would narrow the single file route. The single file route between the parked cars causes cars to meet head on and at times at excessive speed requiring hard breaking. The 20 mile an hour speed limit is not very often adhered to and other traffic calming measures do not work at all and cause drivers to swerve, at speed, to negotiate the gaps between them. There are no measures available to assist in crossing the road and most probably even if there were parents would still attempt to cross between parked cars near their own vehicle. There is no additional space to create enough spaces for off-road parking. May I remind you this is for the parents of the existing 240 pupils. To include a further 180 pupils by increasing the catchment area and therefore having to travel further to school will inevitably guarantee a greater percentage of parents bringing their children to school by car. I have taken limited photographs of the better part of the road between the school and Rowan road which have been shared with you by Councillor Pears and clearly indicate the congestion created now before expansion. I appeal to you to consider very carefully the implications of pressing ahead with this expansion without obtaining guaranteed solutions to the issue of congestion in advance. The issue of Health and Safety here cannot be ignored in order to achieve relief elsewhere in the city or in order to save jobs at this school, both arguments used in support of expansion. Thank you. Local Yes For many years the local area has suffered due to a lack of school places for residents. This permanent expansion of Maney Hill Resident goes some way to help alleviate the pressure for parents who's nearest 3-5 closest schools are always full year on year. Local Yes We need additional school places available in good local schools so that our children can be educated in our community. This is Resident such a fundamental part of a cohesive and effective community - it enables children and there parents to be part of their local area. There is a shortage of school places locally and many children are being driven some miles to schools out of their area. In these cases, without a choice to attend more locally, children can feel separated and ostracised, and parents can experience significant pressure and stress. The proposal to increase Maney Hill is a thoughtful and appropriate response to this situation. Local Yes There is a definite need for more school places within this area. Local children are being allocated places outside of their local Resident community due to there not being enough school places in the area where they have chosen to live. This expansion will help to ensure that children in the area are able to attend their closest school and remain part of their local community.

Local Yes I live in the middle of a 'black spot' (on highbridge road) where several children in previous yrs haven't been able to get places at Resident any local primary schools. Expansion of Maney Hill would ease this problem. I am very strongly in favour.

Local Yes The school has the grounds to support expansion and there is high demand for places in this area Resident Local Yes The school has the grounds to support expansion and there is high demand for places in this area Resident Local Yes Will provide desperately needed additional primary school places in Boldmere / Sutton. Resident Local Yes Many Hill has large grounds and so can accommodate another form entry. This is really needed in Sutton. Resident

Local Yes There is a lack of primary places in the Sutton area which has resulted in children being placed in schools several miles from their Resident homes. Sutton Vesey is particularly badly affected as is Mere Green/Four Oaks area. The expansion is definitely required.

Local Yes The demand for school places in the Sutton area has dramatically increased in recent years. Even with these places in 2015 there Resident were disappointed parents. I know of a family who live on Maney Hill Road who couldn't get a place at Maney Hill. The issues about Boldmere in Sept 2012 made national headlines. The redevelopment of Plantsbrook will make this worse. There are very few other options locally to make the places. Maney Hill as 1 FE is a logical expansion and will provide better value for money for the tax payer. Children deserve to go to their local school and this will help. Local Yes massive site; head stated they are struggling financially; residents are selfish and narrow-minded nimbys, who, if the school did Resident not have enough places for them, would be up in arms. expand the school the local area needs it and the school has an excellent reputation with excellent management and deserves to continue to grow, and expand its excellence. Car parking; NO way is this an issue on this long, straight residential road with NO parking restrictions; beats the white house common expansion; double yellows everywhere plus hospital parking and now double and dangerous parking is rife. It should have been Maney Hill 3-4 years ago.

Local Yes Primary school places in the Sutton Coldfield area are at a premium, and in the past few years, distances for admission have Resident decreased. Residents are currently unable to gain places for their children at local schools, even when they live less than half a mile from the school. This has been compounded by children from further afield gaining places because they have older siblings at a school, who gained places when the pressure was not so great. It is a known fact that walking to school is preferable to being driven by car, but how can anyone expect a 4/5 year old to walk 2 miles (the current distance recommended by Birmingham Education Authority) each way to school every day, that's 20 miles a week, a distance most adults would not be able to complete. In addition adults accompanying children to and from school would be walking double the distance, making that 40 miles. If there is room on the campus, then the only way to relieve the current lack of places is to expand intake.

Local Yes As a teacher I can see the sense of expansion but as a resident there needs to be the relevant parking provided as the road is Resident already almost impassable at school times. Cars are parked inconsiderately. I have friends who live nearer the school who have been subjected to verbal abuse by parents parking across drives etc. Perhaps parking room could be found on the school grounds for all staff at Maney and at Lollipops to help alleviate this . Also there is a trial running at the moment where parents are not allowed to park near the school. They have to park a distance away. This was to prevent accidents to children leaving or arriving.

Local Although I am not against the proposals I do feel that residents have not been given a fair chance to voice concerns..a) no formal Resident consultation for extra class 2015 b) less than 24hrs notice of meeting on 1st Oct (was the school responsible or LEA for this) c) timing of meeting in the middle of day! As a minimum there should be a) sufficient parking for ALL staff in the school grounds ..not enough at present b) parents to show consideration by not blocking footpaths when parking..this does happen c) leave space either side of drives so residents can exit safely. With one extra class parking now extends to Rowan Road! Side roads will be affected when further expansion takes place. Local Local resident No After careful consideration I have to say No I am not in favour. We have many primary schools in this area all in a short walking Resident, who already distance. I cannot believe you need more places for children of this age group. Secondly while some parents do walk their Other, sees chaos children to school many more do not. Maney Hill Road is very dangerous and congested from 3.00- 3.40 pm on school days if you please around the multiply this over the forthcoming years with extra students/cars then it will become a nightmare for both parents and local specify School when residents. Children will be at risk. Please remember that Bishop Walsh parents also park on Maney Hill Road while waiting for parents their children. If this plan goes through then I cannot see that you are really taking the children's safety into consideration and collect that it is probably a decision put forward for financial reasons by the school. children. You need to see it to believe it or perhaps you have not? Local Grandparent No Not safe to cross road with more cars Resident, School places in other local schools so no need Other, Kids like a small school where they can be individuals please I do not think the expansion is a good idea. specify The traffic is terrible and has been much worse since the one extra class so 6 more will cause massive congestion problems. I have grandchildren in the school and their education has already been disrupted and will do more with more building work. There are spaces in other local schools children could go to There will be nowhere safe to cross the road and I have seen 2 cars bumped since the new class started.

Local Grandparent Yes Over the last year I have observed the stress and anxiety that my son and his wife have experienced as they tried to secure a Resident, place for their son to start in a Reception class in a school near to their home. They live in an area of Sutton Coldfield where Other, children have not got into a school of their choice for the last four years. Having eventually been offered a place, which was not please even on their radar, it was with great relief that the decision was made to introduce another class at Maney School. It was even specify more of a relief when a place was offered in this class. He has started this term and is very settled and happy, as are his parents and the rest of the family. It is important that this extra class is available year after year for other children in the same position so this new proposal is a wonderful opportunity to do this. Other, Parent of Yes The expansion at Maney hill is greatly needed in this area! There has been a shortage of primary school places for a number of please children who years and Maney is best placed to meet the needs of many and reduce pressure for places in the whole locality. My own specify live in the daughter was affected by the shortage of places 3 years ago and was displaced out to walmley. It has took 2 appeals, 2 school locality but changes and a whole lot of heart ache to finally get her a school place in her own community. attend The benefits of this after just two weeks are unbelievable. Children need to be able to go to school in their own communities. To different be able to walk to and from and make local friendships. The expansion of Maney school is essential to the well being of the schools children of Sutton Coldfield and should over ride issues people have regarding planning/ building/ parking/ enjoying a one form entry school and should just be looked at as problems to be solved not reasons to dismiss the idea. Parent No I oppose the proposal on the following grounds : - already there is disruption to my children's day: they have been unable to access the rear playground, fields for pe , lunchtime and after school activities. My daughter has had to spend lunchtime stuck in a classroom as thee is not space for her to go outside! Practices and matches have been cancelled due to the work. I can only foresee this ongoing if the school continues to extend. - the roads are already congested at drop off and pick up. - pavements are uneven on Maney Hill Road leading to daily accidents which will be increased with extra traffic. - the crossing across Wylde Green Road is already treacherous in the morning without extra cars, it is an accident waiting to happen. - pressure on resources eg the library, hall , ict suite with extra children - the lovely field s would be built on leading to less activities available to the children - Maney is a small school with a small front playground, there is not space for this proposal to work and I don not wish my children to have to be disrupted by the building work which will ensue if it goes ahead. It is already noisy and disrupting their concentration in lessons. Parent No I feel an increased number of pupils will have a detrimental effect on the quality of teaching given to existing pupils, and am concerned that middle-ground children may become 'lost' while staff concentrate on the lower- and higher-achievers. Doubling the number of buildings will reduce the outside space available to children. Local residents already have problems with parking when parents drop off and pick up - I live ten minutes away and have parking outside my house. I am also troubled by the way the school have handled this, with little consultation or notice given to parents about impending plans.

Parent No For a number of reasons, the traffic, the size and use of the site, the atmosphere of the school and learning environment.

Parent No The use of existing facilities will be hampered by the proposed expansion. This will impinge on the standard of education being offered to my children who attend the school at the moment. Traffic is already congested and an accident is inevitable if the numbers rise. Parent No There has been a large turnover in staff at the school. Most of the teachers are new in post so the school is not stable enough to stand a doubling in size. The promised portakabins were not installed in time for the new term so that the reception class became 60 pupils in one room. I have no confidence that the school can cope with this extra intake without having an adverse effect on the education of its pupils. The nearby school at New Hall is not full. The majority of the new intake would need to drive as they would be outside the current catchment and there are a number of physical barriers to travel such as a river and railway line. A large increase in parked cars would mean inconvenience and added danger of road traffic accidents. Wylde Green road is a very busy road that cars travel fast on, I find it difficult to cross as an adult especially at school crossing times. There have been regular accidents on this road and I am afraid the chances of a very serious accident will be greatly increased.

Parent No I am not in favour of the expansion of Maney Hill school for a number of reasons. Firstly the head mistress has not been a stable force within the school. Since she has been appointed the turnover of staff has been huge, and now nearly all teachers are new in post since she started. The school doesn't have a stable grounding for further new staff or increasing number of pupils. I do not think that any more new staff would be good for this school, or in fact the other teachers or school morale.

Secondly, the traffic caused by another 210 children attending the school, would make it extremely dangerous for children crossing roads. This would be because the extra children would not be within walking distance ( although as the 'crow flies' they are relatively near), and would drive to school morning and afternoon. This would cause greatly increased traffic down Wylde Green Road ( as a large number would be from the New Hall estate), which is already a very fast and dangerous road. The traffic speed monitor regularly measures cars speeding at 50mph or more, and there is no crossing at any point between the top at Birmingham Road and Bishop Walsh school. I find it difficult to cross as an adult, let alone as a child on this road, during school start & finish times. There are regular accidents on the junction of East View Road and Wylde Green road, and I am afraid that the increase in traffic would add to the already present danger. The large number of cars that would be parking on Maney Hill Road would also pose an increase in danger to children who walk to school, as they park continuously all along from the junction of Pilkington avenue to Rowan road at the moment, and with every 30 extra cars added to this, there would literally be no where to cross that wasn't between parked cars. This would not be safe for children and would lead to an injury, or worse, death.

Lastly the huge disruption to the school would greatly affect the current teaching and learning of the current pupils. The proposed portacabin that was meant to be in place for September 2015, was not in place for 5 and a half weeks, which meant that building work was performed within school hours which caused disruption to lessons and break times alike. My daughter reported that on 2 days many of her lessons were disrupted by hammering and banging noises of the builders, which lead to loss of education. Increasing school footprint cannot be guaranteed to be carried out completely during the 6 week holidays, and any disruption that occurs during school time can only be detrimental to learning and to the children being settled. Also the reception children this September have had to spend 5 and a half weeks like sardines, trapped in one classroom designed for 30 children, as the build was not completed. Any building work could be delayed again, as residents and parents alike will oppose any building proposals . This is completely unfair for the learning of the children and for their memory of starting a new school. Also the tight knit and community feel that the school has, with all the children knowing each other, would be lost, which would be a great shame for the pupils.

Parent No Writing in the Maney Hill Newsletter volume 3, issue 16 dated 25th May 2012 and following a meeting with the council representative organising school expansions, the Head teacher Mrs Whitehead stated 'I made it absolutely clear that we are not interested in increasing our intake from the current one form entry. I want to reassure parents that we love our school as it is and will not be increasing either for this September or any September in the future'. Whilst the Head teacher has now reneged on expansion and we must consider this or any future reassurances to be entirely bogus, the sentiment expressed has not altered for many parents with children already at the school. Maney Hill as a one form entry school has an environment that provides space and an opportunity for children to thrive and develop both physically and holistically. The disruption that will inevitably be caused by expansion along with the permanent infringement on fundamental play areas will undoubtedly compromise the guarantees quoted by the local authority on these matters in their Birmingham Curriculum Statement. Ultimately a further seven classrooms will be required along with increased provision of service areas. A 'remodelling' will not suffice as the current hall, kitchen and toilet facilities, designed for 210 pupils will immediately come under pressure to accommodate additional numbers and the potential for serious disruption to the children’s education and well being has not been adequately considered or addressed at this stage. There have been no plans submitted on how the school will expand and given the shambolic approach to the increased Reception entry in September 2015, resulting in a farcical situation of 60 pupils in one classroom for over three weeks, it would be impossible to support further expansion as there can be no confidence in the Head teacher, governing body or local authority to manage the process with the best interests of current pupils at heart. An increase in traffic will certainly prove to be the most emotive subject, particularly for local residents, but it also increases the potential for serious risk of harm to our children. Once again, the Head teacher Mrs Whitehead, writing in the newsletter dated 2nd October 2015, documents another valid rationale for the rejection of expansion by stating ‘We are often asked by both parents and residents to mention parents parking around school. This week I was truly shocked to hear of very rude and inconsiderate parking by one of our parents. Walking down the pavement is a challenge when cars are parked up on the curb’. Traffic and parking around the school has been an ongoing concern at Maney Hill as a one form entry school and whilst there is no provision in the proposed expansion to alleviate the problem, it will only be exacerbated and the proposal must therefore be rejected. Should the local authority seek to absolve itself from any responsibility for increased traffic citing ‘outside school grounds’ as a reason, then it cannot be considered competent to manage this proposal and will have failed in its objective to allow children to ‘prosper in an environment that is safe and promotes their overall well-being’ as published in the Education Services Core offer 2015-16.

Parent No Parking is horrendous and the amount of cars that come down maney hill rd I'm frightened for my children's safety. This will only get worse with more kids attending. The school dining room is not big enough. I am concerned if a new build will go ahead it will affect the children in the school and their work ,already some after school clubs had been cancelled when the new reception classroom was put in there which upset the pupils. The school is perfectly fine the way it is.

Parent No I chose this school as it was small and it had the community feeling. At present school standards have dropped as you enter the school the playground for infants has been broken. While classes are going on it has caused lots of distraction for children due to building work which was promised to be finished during summer holiday Aug 2015..

Teaching standards have fallen down homework is inadequate and rather appalling

Parent Vice Chair No I have 3 children who have attended Maney Hill. My youngest daughter is currently in Year 6. I do not believe Maney Hill should Maney Hill be expanded permanently and other options should be looked at. PTA. Firstly, the statement in the consultation document ;' Maney Hill has agreed to take an additional 30 pupils in September 2015 within existing accommodation on the school site' is untrue. There is no spare accommodation within the school and in order to accommodate these 30 children additional classrooms have had to be built on outside space. Contrary to the comment in the consultation document; 'Temporary accommodation has been provided in time for the first additional intake in Reception in September 2015' the additional 30 children have had to share the reception classroom with the other 30 children and as of yesterday (14 October) had still not moved into the only just completed new accommodation. The level of disruption to these childrens' first month of education has been entirely unacceptable, chaotic and detrimental. Additionally, during this building period all of the children in the school have had to suffer with their field being closed for much of the time at lunchtimes due to the building work and as a result of this some of the children have been kept inside at playtimes and had no fresh air or exercise. When they have been allowed out they have all been crammed into insufficient outside space. This situation has been exacerbated by dangerous, broken play equipment in the front playground. So basically the children have been bored and had insufficient exercise, fresh air and stimulation. This does not bode well for any future developments if it is so badly managed. I was advised at the consultation meeting that the building work will take 12 months. Contrary to the consultation document and with the recent experience I would say it WILL have a seriously adverse effect on the children. In addition to the disruption there should also be a concern about the exposure and effects of potentially toxic building materials and dust being around the children for such a length of time. One of the days last week I walked up the path to the rear of the school and was met with a huge cloud of building dust. This is unacceptable. The staffing situation within the school is not as stable as it has been historically. There have been several staff departures due to various reasons over the past 12 months and all of the experienced older staff have been replaced with very new, inexperienced NQT's. The Deputy Head, Sarah Antrobus , who was fantastic has left and as yet has not been replaced with no explanation to parents. Also she was the Sendco and as a parent of a child with a special need (visual impairment) I am concerned that I have not been notified by the school of a replacement. Generally the management of the school does not seem very efficient and I am concerned that the school would struggle with any more families because of this. There have also been several changes of Head of Governors over the last 2 or 3 years - again due to communication issues with the school. It appears that the motivation is purely financial and she does not have the interests of the children at heart. We have recently lost a very longstanding member of staff of around 33 years , Mrs Brenda Hartless, from the Reception team who has apparently been replaced by an unqualified Teaching Assistant. This is very worrying as a parent at the school who is a level 3 teaching assistant and already working within the school, applied for was virtually promised this job. She would have been a fantastic asset to the team in Reception . Again it seems the motive is purely financial. There does not seem to be a real strategy in place for the physical expansion. I believe that if it does go ahead the possibility of a new build, 2 storey building would provide a far better long term solution. Also it should be built over a much shorter period of time using more labour and the majority done over the school Summer break. I am extremely concerned at the prospect of loss of the sports field to build classrooms. Maney Hill does a lot of sport with the children which enhances their overall health and wellbeing. If green space is lost and the amount of pupils doubled how does the school propose to engage them in their current level of sporting activities and where do you propose they run about and play at lunchtime. I suggested that looking at building a new school should be explored and suggested the site of the very underused Braemar Rd playing fields. I was told by the planning officer that there is no way they could build on this as they are sports fields. What is the difference between this and the proposal to build on the sports fields at Maney Hill? How would Sport England feel about this too? It appears that it is one rule for one situation and one for another. I do believe that there are sites in Sutton Coldfield that would support a new build school and I urge you to look at the Council owned land on Fir Tree Grove in Boldmere as a possible site for another school. This is waste ground adjacent to council flats and Boldmere is one of the main areas where there is a shortfall in school places. Also there is a brownfield site on Coleshill Rd (possibly privately owned) that used to be an industrial site that has been cleared several years ago and remained vacant and unused. The other main issue that was not mentioned on the consultation document and is a very real source of concern is potential parking problems in the area around the school. There is no infrastructure on Maney Hill Rd, a residential area to cope with any additional cars. Parking around the school with just an additional 30 families coming from a little further away, i.e. not necessarily walking distance, has become dangerous and unacceptable to residents, parents and most importantly children. There is no school crossing warden and I believe this needs to be implemented immediately for the safety of the children. I have witnessed over the past month cars parked on double yellow lines outside the school on a daily basis, even a car parked completely across the drive of the house next door! The infrastructure of this road simply cannot cope with an additional possible 210 vehicles in the morning and afternoon. One day recently the road was completely blocked with parked cars and vehicles were unable to traverse up and down the road - it was gridlocked. The only thing I can suggest is if it does go ahead perhaps some sort of staggered start time to alleviate the pressure on the parking situation. I hope due consideration is given to all of the above concerns.

Parent Yes There is a worrying lack of infant places in the area. Friends on surrounding roads- including Maney hill road itself - have in recent years been unable to secure a place for their child at ANY local school. As a small school with room for expansion an additional class at Maney is the obvious solution. Parent Yes I feel it is really important for children's social development for them to have local schools. Walking to school, local friendships etc are vital to developing healthy communities.

Parent Yes Boldmere is in desperate need of this school expansion. Many children in the area have to travel across Sutton to go to school as there are not enough local places at Boldmere. Maney Hill School is in a great location, and the expansion will allow more local children to walk to a local school.

Parent Yes Other schools have expanded or already have large intakes. There is plenty of space at Maney Hill and a demand for school places that should be offered.

Parent Yes There is an acute shortage of primary school places in Sutton Coldfield meaning parents are not being offered a school either within walking distance of their home and not within their chosen preferences, even if they follow the BCC Admissions criteria. Maney Hill is a single form intake currently and is very well placed to increase the size of the school and thus providing much need additional primary school provision to Sutton Coldfield.

Parent Yes There needs to be more school places for children in Sutton Coldfield and this would help the issue.

Parent Yes

Parent Yes Having experienced my son not being offered any of his school places and having to go through a long and protracted process to finally get him a place I am in full support of the permanent expansion of Maney Hill and all other primary schools in the Sutton trinity ward. This area is highly over subscribed for school places and clearly a permanent solution needs to be found to ensure that our children are able to attend a school within walking distance of their home.

Parent Yes As a parent of a child living on Braemar Rd, (a no mans land for school places) I welcome the decision by the authority to expand a good school to cater for the growing school population. We already face not being admitted to any of our three closest primary schools which is devastating. The increased number may not help our son to get into one of our closest schools but it will help others not to be disappointed.

Parent Yes We applied for a reception class place for the September 2015 starting date, Maney was our first choice but due to the limited class size with a one class entry, we didn't get a place there or with our 2 other preferences. It lead to an intense period of stress and dismay. We were then left to simply play the waiting list game! for months! Luckily due to demand for more school places in Sutton Vesey and other areas across the city, this black hole had been known about for some time. Which resulted in Mrs Whitehead and her team, stating they were interested in expansion! We didn't hear of this until June, then had to wait further while letters were sent to the whole of Sutton Coldfield and applications were made! We eventually heard we were fortunate enough to get a place! We were so happy and then went through all of the excitement of induction days and learning about the new classroom. To then suddenly on 7th September to be told that due to local residents (some ex school parents) the building work hadn't been started let alone completed! So now although in the brilliant position of having a school place at Maney, the 60 reception children are sharing a classroom! Moving forward we want more local people to benefit from the amazing school that is Maney. The expansion is needed and wanted, and as parents and local residents we should support this. At the end of the day, our children and with the excellence of education, are all our future. So we need to support it and make it happen.

Parent Yes There is a shortage of school spaces in the Boldmere area and the expansion is completely necessary to give children the opportunity to go to a local school. This will ease traffic and encourage healthy lifestyles.

Parent Yes Our eldest daughter is due to start Reception in September 2016. We live in the black hole in Boldmere where it seems we have been missed out of the catchment area for all the local schools. This situation is crazy! The expansion of Maney Hill is crucial for families in the local area.

Parent Yes My daughter will start school next year. Currently, where we live is excluded from the catchment area of any local school. Maney Hill is the closest school to us.

Parent Yes After my daughter starting reception this year at boldmere school it was clear there is a shortage of spaces in vesey ward for reception ages children. A permanent class needs to be added and as maney hill currently had the lowest intake it make sense that maney hill school is extended.

Parent Yes

Parent Yes Parent Yes

Parent Parent of Yes The permanent expansion of Maney hill school is vital for our whole community to give our children the chance to be educated child due to in their local area and make local friendships. The health benefits of being able to walk to school are also numerous and start school in something our children are entitled to. This should far outweigh the views of residents that are concerned about change. 2016 Parent Yes I have 2 children under 5 and this year we are making our primary choices for our daughter. We live on Jockey Rd opposite Mayfield Rd. Our nearest school is St Nicholas but we are not Catholic so it's not a choice for us, we won't get in. Our second nearest is Holland House, however we have been out of their catchment area for most recent years. We would never get into Boldmere and are also boarder line for New Oscott. If Maney Hill becomes a permanent two form entry we have a better chance of our children going to their local school of Holland House. All we want for our children is for them to be able to walk to school and be part of the community in which they live. My nephew who is now 6 and who lives near us has to travel across the other side of Sutton to Mere Green. He did not get of his choices. We fear the same for us. Inceasing the size of Maney Hill will release some pressure and hopefully more families will get an actual choice in where their child goes to school.

Parent Yes My twins went to money hill and the education was excellent, However being just a one class intake the transition to secondary school was daunting , the school has lots of grounds and could accomadate more class rooms. However I do have a interested as my youngest is due to start reception in September 16 and will no longer have a sibling at the school. And given current one class intake would not meet the guidelines .

Parent Yes

Parent Yes As a local resident (Vesey Road) it has been an absolute nightmare getting a local school place for our eldest child. He did not meet the admission criteria for our nearest 5 schools! He has ended up in a school in Four Oaks which is not an ideal situation and we are about to go through the stress and heartache for our daughter this year. It is essential that local schools cater for the needs of local families.

Parent Yes There are not enough school places in Sutton Coldfield. Young children are being sent out of the town in some cases and to schools too far away which can be extremely difficult for young families to manage. There is a lot of migration into Sutton Coldfield due to the reputation of the schools and so the problem is getting worse. There should also be a duration lived in area places in all school admissions criteria to quell this.

Parent Yes

Parent Yes Maney hill is a good school so it should expand and give a chance to other children who will benefit from an outstanding education.

Parent Yes In May 2014 I moved with my husband & two young children to Sutton Coldfield, we moved house to live closer to my parents who are a fantastic support with our children whilst my husband and I work full time. We brought a house which we believed would give us several options of schooling as three primary schools lay less than a mile from our front door step. In March 2015 when the allocated school places were issued by email and post I was horrified to find none of my 3 options were given. My daughter was offered a place at Banners Gate Primary, almost 4 miles away! I rely on my parents to help drop off and pick up my children from their child care settings. Due to the distance of the school offered this would have been impossible as they do not drive. With out Maney Hill offering its additional class in 2015 I would still be in the position, and by now would have been forced to give up my job to enable me to take my child to school meaning our home would become unaffordable. It is clear from further research and understanding of the school admissions that there are not enough school places in the area to offer children a 'local school place'. The affects of children not being able to attend a local schools are damaging to a young child. Last year my daughter attended a local nursery to Maney Hill at Holland House, many of her friends have gone on to reception at Maney Hill. If my daughter was forced to accept the original offer of Banners Gatr she would have had to rebuild her friendship groups, this undoubtedly would have affected her self esteem and confidence. Also would cause further problems when applying for secondary school places as the likely secondary school from Banners Gate would have been Streetly academy which is not on a bus route from our house and not reasonable walking distance meaning the distance to drop my children off a secondary school would be even greater than 4 miles. The site at Maney Hill is clearly big enough to facilitate extra class room spaces without compromising the children. The local residents and parents against the expansion need to put themselves in my shoes and understand the impact it has on my family and future families of the local area if there are not enough school places being offered. The traffic and car parking congestion is a very poor but obvious excuse for people to use, it's 10 minutes twice per day that the road is busier and more congested. The impact on emissions would be a lot greater if all the extra parents were travelling further, in my case a nearly 8 mile round trip to take there children to school if forced to accept places at schools not in the area. My son is due to start school in September 2016, although now he would be further towards the top of the admission criteria having a sibling at the school I believe it is imperative the school expands to accommodate children and families that deserve a local school place just as much as someone living 0.2 miles closer to the school gates. Parent Yes We live in Vesey road, Sutton Coldfield and have two children, Thomas is 2.5 and starts school in sept 2017. Our other child is aged 4 months. We are in a no mans land for schools in terms of cut off distances- too far from Boldmere, Wylde green primary and Holland house. We are approx 600 metres from Maney Hill school and yet without the expansion, might still not get into the closest local school which is Maney Hill. Our children want to and should be able to go to school in the local area, to support their community and make friends locally. They should be close enough to walk to their school as well.

Parent Yes There are not enough school places in the area and something needs to be urgently done especially with new housing being build within the area - Holland rd and Shooters Hill.

Parent, No More traffic, more conjestion and I dont see how the school can expand to accommodate and extra class every year! Local Resident Parent, No The site is too small. The road will not substantiate that amount of traffic. Walmley Village is already a high traffic zone and this Local will be made worse by the expansion. Resident We sent our children to the school because it was small and we wanted a small, local school for them. I could have chosen a bigger school, but chose Maney because I went to a larger school and I felt lost and like a number rather than a person at times. My children know almost everyone in the school, it is lovely as it is and I feel the expansion will change the ethos of the school. As a (very) local resident, I already have problems getting off my drive sometimes and this will only get worse when people are fighting for spaces as so many more cars will have to be parked on the road. It is likely to more than double the traffic as more children will come by car as they are coming from furher away. The one class expansion so far has already caused problems, such as no outdoor play at lunch times and cancellation of after school clubs.We were promised this would only benefit our children for the positive, but I feel this is just propaganda to get people to go with the expansion. I appreciate children need school places and we have expanded now by one class, but doubling the school seems to be one step too far. New schools need to be built to accommodate new people coming into the areas. Parent, No I believe the expansion will be detrimental to the current pupils including my children plus the local neighbourhood. The school is Local at the centre of the local community and increasing the size will: Resident 1. Mean that there will be a decrease in outdoor space for current pupils 2. Mean that the quality of school life will decrease for pupils as more pupils will create a whole variety of issues including increased levels of bullying, accidents and incidents. As an assistant principal of a school in Birmingham that went through expansion I can categorically tell you that expansion is never ever a good thing for current pupils and parents. 3. The local roads are already busy at school periods and it cannot cope with the increased traffic volume. This will put pupils in danger as they make their way home. 4. Local house prices will go down as nobody wants to move into an area where there wil eventually be such traffic problems. This is just an absolutely terrible idea. We have moved into the area so our daughter goes to a small school with close knit relationships but this will totally disappear if the school is expanded. I am so against this and I know many other parents are too. This should not go ahead.

Parent, No Looking at catchment distances of schools in previous years - this is the wrong school to expand. Boldmere is where the highest Local density of families are currently and are as such struggling to get a school place. Expanding Maney will only serve to increase Resident traffic travelling from boldmere towards town. Expand where it's needed. New oscott primary catchment reaches well into the areas that are struggling to get school places. however - very few parents put this down as a choice and end up being offered schools much further out.

Parent, I live 7 houses No I am opposed to the expansion. I feel it will affect my children as current members of the school in a negative way. The current Local away from expansion plans have not gone smoothly and it has not been handled well. We have been given less than 24 hours notice to Resident the school. attend a consultation meeting for residents, which is not an acceptable timeframe for people to re-arrange work committments. I feel the school is set in an area that creates a sense of local community and closeness. This will change with the expansion. I have 2 There are already logistical issues with parking and local traffic problems, which will be made worse by the expansion. The children in additional 30 children have already had an impact on the traffic and parking, whilst one class expansion is inevitable, I feel it is the school, in not acceptble to double the size of what is currently a lovley small local school. year 3 and 5

We love the school and would like it to remain a small -close nit school.

There are parking issues already and these will only get worse. Parent, No The local area would not be able to accommodate such expansion - impact on traffic volume and street parking. Local The school facilities are not conducive to such expansion and would require a major overhaul which would impact existing pupils. Resident The organisational culture of the current staff group is not representative of a staff group which could manage such an expansion Parent, No We chose the school (and our property for the last 7 years) to be within very close proximity and thereby the catchment area of Local what we have known to be a good primary school (James having attended some years ago). Our experience with the two form Resident entry for 2015 intake has been negative from the start, and unfortunately continues to be. In direct contradiction to the Consultation document which states that the temporary classroom was ready for the extra intake from September, this, as of today 13.10.15 continues to still be under construction, meaning the first half term of their school and educational life for 60 children has been significantly disrupted. Clearly we are not privy to what goes on in the day, but our experience of dropping our young son off is often having to queue for 10 minutes for 60 children, parents, numerous siblings and associated pushchairs to gain access via one door. This leaves some children (our son especially) anxious and distressed. The proposed increase in permanent buildings to accommodate an additional 210 children is likely to cause significant disruption to all those children attending presently, as well as local residents in terms of increased noise and traffic. Whilst we have been informed that the plans have not yet been drawn up for the new buildings, we can clearly see the temporary classrooms from our house, and are therefore likely to be affected aesthetically from the proposed development. Despite talk around improving parking/drop off facilities, the road remains a popular thoroughfare for school users and non-school users alike, and is already chaotic with a small catchment area, and this will only grow as the catchment area increases with people living further afield surely being more inclined to drive. Whilst we understand the impact that net migration is having nationally and more locally within Birmingham, we are led to question whether this is in fact having a real impact on Sutton Coldfield (where property prices etc are more likely to be prohibitive to incoming families), in which case is it right to impact upon the local facilities in this way? We appreciate members of the Education Infrastructure team holding meetings with local stakeholders however we remain aggrieved and disappointed by the way the increased intake has been handled thus far, which leaves us questioning both the local authority and school's handling of any further developments. We appreciate Jaswinder Didially's honesty in acknowledging the shortcomings of the late notice of this year's increased intake, however question whether the impact of this is really understood on the small children entering into a bewildering new world of education, and their parents who are left with dented confidence of the educational institution they entrust their children to. Parent, No I object to the expansion for the following reasons: Local • Adding extra classes will affect school ethos and lead to a reduction in the educational standards of the school. Comparisons of Resident double to single entry schools has shown smaller schools perform to a much higher standard. • As a high percentage of families use cars to travel to and from school there has been no planning to cover the likely increase in traffic. This will increase the risk of potential accidents involving parents, children and other road users. We are already seeing a noticeable difference with one extra reception class in 2015. • No considerations has been made to manage the effects of traffic volume on local residents. • Prior to expanding Maney Hill, action should be taken to fill places in other local schools where places are available, e.g New Hall. • A personal observation is that pupils in new reception class were previously offered places at Holland House School. We know this as my youngest daughter attends the nursery in that school and a number of parents who attended the welcome evening at Holland House in summer 2015 now have children in Maney Hill's reception class. This clearly has a knock on effect to Holland House meaning their catchment area has widened with children from outside Sutton Coldfield attending that school. In one instance, we know of a child travelling in from Castle Vale. We believe at the current time there are more than enough school places in Sutton Coldfield to meet the existing needs. This situation on it's own gives lack of credibility to the expansion.

Parent, No I am not in favour of the expansion of Maney Hill school. I currently have two children in the school and the reason I chose this Local school is for the lovely family feel it holds. All the children know each other in all years and this will be lost if the school expands. Resident Since the new intake of 30 extra children this year the parking around the school has been horrendous and this is only an extra 30 children. It will get much worse. I am extremely concerned about the disruption to the children's school life whilst the building work will be taking place. They have currently been disrupted with one extra classroom being built. They have not been allowed on the fields to play and Key Stage 1 were even kept indoors one week whilst Key stage 2 were in their playground. Parents have a general lack of apathy at the moment and we feel this is a done deal irrelevant of what concerns we view. There has been a bigger turn over in staff recently. Maney lost 3 very experienced teachers last year. I do not feel the leadership at the school is adequate enough for the expansion of Maney Hill school. It is an outstanding school but the latest offsted inspection was 7 years ago, I feel this needs to be looked into again. There are other schools around the area that are not at full capacity so why expand Maney Hill. Regards

Parent, No Maney Hill School has serious problems with it's leadership and governance. This is evidenced by the continuing departure of Local experienced and senior staff, in fact the school has no deputy head at this time. Also, there have now been four chairs of Resident governors since 2013. The school's Ofsted rating dates back to 2009 and no longer has any relevance, indeed we and other parents would welcome a new inspection even if it resulted in a far lower, but more realistic rating of our childrens' school. That these problems exist in a one form entry school in a "good" area do not inspire confidence in the school's ability to meet the numerous challenges expansion will bring. In short, we do not feel that Maney Hill School is capable of a successful expansion with current school regime. If the council are serious about hearing the views of parents then we suggest that they meet parents somewhere other than the school site so that views may be freely expressed.

Parent, No The expansion will be detrimental to the education of the pupils in the school. Local This is no better illustrated by the bulge year expansion, which was announced without consultation in May. Both parents and Resident local residents expressed concern but the Head Teacher and Govenors progressed regardless. There is no doubt that the Reception children's education and wellbeing has been harmed as they have been in a classroom of 60 children for the past three and a half weeks, which is simply unacceptable. I have no confidence in the school management nor Birmingham City Council for this expansion not to have a detrimental effect on my child's education. I also live close to the school and there is already a noticeable difference in the traffic this will be further exacerbated by an additional six classes in the morning and afternoon.

Parent, No The expansion of Maney Hill Primary School is a rushed recipe for failure. Local I’ll start with Birmingham City Council’s (“BCC”) Education Department where the story started. Despite birth statistics being Resident available for at least 3 years prior to the start of the 2015 admission process in September 2014, BCC chose to ignore these and they proposed that the September 2015 intake would be one class of 30 children. Parents (including me) then submitted their school preference based on one class of 30 children in a class in December 2014. BCC again chose to ignore the data on the number of applications for places in December 2014 until May 2015 when Maney Hill Primary School was suddenly having another class. There was no consultation - it was a done deal. A number of parents and residents suggested that this wouldn’t work but this fell on the deaf ears of the Board of Governors and the Head Teacher. We were assured that this would not have any impact on our Children’s education but how wrong they were. I am writing on the 15th October and this is the first day of the school year (just over a week before half term) that the Reception Children are not subject to the indefensible conditions of 60 (yes sixty) children in a class. This has had a detrimental effect on my child’s education and their development is going backwards from when they started school. This is not an “Outstanding” school but instead a completely unsatisfactory one based on my experience. I wouldn’t have sent my child to Maney Hill Primary School knowing what I know now. It has been a shambles and my child and I have been let down by BCC, the Head Teacher and the Board of Governors. We are now only five months down the road since the announcement of the bulge year (and coincidentally the same day as each class having their own classroom) but we are now being asked to approve the a permanent doubling of the size of the school. An intake of 60 in September 2015 could have been planned as early as September 2011 with little disruption to the children with suitable planning. Instead, BCC leave it as late as possible to the detriment of the children’s education. Unfortunately, the usual suspects from the complete failure of the Reception admission 2015 are still present in the proposal to double it. The local residents weren’t invited nor notified of the bulge year. The incompetence continued again this year when Local Residents weren’t invited to a meeting with the school and BCC. Another meeting had to be organised 3 days before the closing date for comments in relation to the consultation. In my view this is insufficient time for their views to be heard and the consultation is flawed. This charade is apparently a consultation but it is blatantly another done deal. The BCC Primary Education 2016 document advertises Maney Hill Primary School as having an intake of 60 for 2016, which is incorrect and has since been corrected to 30. This “error” will no doubt have influenced the number of applications to Maney Hill for 2016 and will be used as propaganda as to why the size of the school must be increased. The Head Teacher and School Governors can no longer do anything about the expansion even if every single parent in the school objected. It’s in BCC’s hands and they will push through their own agenda. The consultation document states that “How will this affect pupils at the school? Pupils will notice some changes but those are likely to be limited. ….. Please be reassured that the high standard of education and care for your child will remain”. This is simply not true, the high standard of education is not there at the moment and I’m certainly not reassured. It will be a minimum 12 months of disruption and below standard education. I attended a meeting at the school with BCC who explained the criteria for expansion. One of the key criteria was apparently the impact on other local schools of expanding a school. Nobody had any idea where the additional 30 children who came to Maney Hill Primary School were due to attend so how they can adequately address this point? This expansion has no benefit whatsoever to the existing pupils. They will have unnecessary disruption, reduced outside play areas and smaller classrooms as BCC will build to current guidelines rather than in line with existing accommodation. Finally, I will touch on the impact to local residents. The bulge year has already had a noticeable increase on traffic as many new pupils live on the New Hall Estate which is 2+ miles away by car and they need to be driven. It is not simply a 14% increase in traffic but significantly more than that. The school itself is located on a relatively narrow road with only two ways to access the school. In addition, the frontage of the school is narrow but the grounds are quite deep, which exacerbates the problem. Cars park on either side of the road and only one car can get down the road causing significant traffic issues. There is insufficient access and parking for the school and the school’s location cannot cope with such an increase in traffic. I have just wasted several hours of my life responding to this “done deal”. BCC will do as they please and not consider the view’s of parents nor residents. Please see the completely biased view of the planning officer and subsequent approval of the Care Home at 46 Maney Hill Road if you need any evidence of this. Alternatively, you can put on a pair of the BCC standard issue blinkers and carry on regardless.

Parent, Yes There are too few school places in our area and based on the distances for the past 4 years our daughter will almost certainly not Local get into any of the 6 schools within walking distance of our house. Resident This additional class can only help alleviate some of that burden on school places and allow local children to go to local schools.

Parent, Yes There is continual uncertainty around reception children getting into a local school in the Boldmere/Maney area, which causes Local much stress and upset to small children when they don't know which school they will be going to until the last minute when lists Resident are being updated over summer. I have not personally had this problem as I was very close to Boldmere I&J however have seen the effect where parents close to Boldmere have been unable to get their children into Boldmere, Maney or Wylde Grren despite living between all 3 schools. That there is a school with only 1 form entry is untenable in these circumstances. I would like to say that Boldmere is 3 form entry and is also in a residential area and there are few issues around traffic or the amount of people. And let's face it even if there are it's for 1 hour a day, 38 weeks a year.

Parent, Yes Without this expansion I believe my son and many other local children would not be offered a place in a local primary school I Local September 2016. It may only need to be a short-term expansion, depending on birth-rates, but there is an obvious need Resident currently.

Parent, Yes Overdue response to historical lack of provision Local Resident Parent, Yes The fight for school places lately has been a joke. There are just not enough primary school places in this area and something Local needs to be done. I am unsure why people are complaining about this proposal as its for local people then there should not be a Resident build up of cars as people could be encouraged to walk etc. Mandy hill can accommodate more pupils so should so there is less pressure on patents having to go out of the area for a primary school place.

Parent, Yes The is very clear evidence that the extra class is needed at this school, it will be local children attending, so traffic will not be a Local problem. It will help ease the burden of other local schools. We need to encourage young families to live in the area so it Resident continues to prosper and a excellent primary education for young children is where that starts!

Parent, Yes There is a desperate shortage of school places in Sutton Coldfield! This is only going to get worse as time goes by. This is due to Local the increased birth rate, people moving into the area and migration. Resident Parent, Yes The area is urgently in need of primary school places.Parents in the local area should not have to travel out of the local area to Local take their children to school.The school has a large green area which can comfortably accomodate an extra intake. Resident Parent, Yes There is no excuse for maintaining a one form entry school when people living locally and within streets of the school are fighting Local for any school place at all. Its a disgrace. Expand expand expand. Resident Parent, Yes It is clear that more school places are needed in the area. Local Resident Parent, Yes Our eldest child missed out on a place in a local school 3 years ago. We don't want others to have the same issue as it is Local distressing. We also have a second child who is starting school in 2016. Resident Parent, Yes Local Resident Parent, Yes Local Resident Parent, Yes There are not enough schools in Sutton Coldfield - 3 out of the 4 most oversubscribed primaries in Birmingham are in Sutton! It's Local clearly an issue and good small schools should do their bit to serve all of their community and not just those lucky enough to live Resident with a stones throw.

Parent, Yes For many years Sutton Coldfield has suffered from a shortage of primary school places, and it must be recognised that schools in Local the area have to expand to accommodate the increase in demand. Maney Hill is an excellent school, and this is borne out by the Resident fact that it ranked last year as the third most over-subscribed school in Birmingham (and indeed the sixth across all of Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Solihull), with 5.33 applicants for every place. An expansion to a two class intake would benefit both the school, in allowing it to develop even further, and local parents, who otherwise face having to send their children further and further afield to schools outside of their area due to the increasing demand for spaces. Maney Hill is also an ideal site for expansion, as the site has adequate space to allow new buildings to be constructed to accommodate the additional pupils and staff.

Parent, In addition to Yes I am very happy to propose the expansion for several key reasons. Firstly, the requirement for places in the local area is great - Local being a over the last 10 years the number of families living close to the school has increased markedly causing the catchment area to Resident, parent and shrink further and further. Houses only 500m from the school are now out of catchment for all local school when they would Other, local resident, have been comfortably in catchment for Maney Hill only 6 or 7 years ago. Secondly, I feel that the qualities and strengths of please I have also Maney Hill as a school both educationally and socially for the children would be improved by expansion. There is no evidence specify volunteered that a 2-form school cannot maintain a small-school friendly environment, yet the benefits from a wider staff skill-base and more at the school flexibility, not to mention improved buildings and facilities would greatly improve outcomes. I believe very strongly that, with teaching and proper investment in the buildings and grounds, that the staff and management team would be able to transition the school very support the successfully with no detrimental impact on the children. Maney Hill is an outstanding school by government criteria. More provision of importantly it is a brilliant school in terms of producing happy, confident, polite and rounded young people ready to excel in music so feel I secondary education. Our eldest son has just left and we have been astounded by how Maney Hill has enabled him to flourish have a from a massively shy and bewildered toddler into a charming and confident young man. His entire year group were immensely greater impressive as young people when they finished Y6 last year. Surely, more families should be given the opportuntiy to benefit appreciation from this!Finally, whilst I appreciate the concerns of residents about increased parking and traffic, I do not feel that this is of the sufficient reason to consider refusing the expansion. The impact of the increased traffic could be controlled through better workings of policing of the zig-zag lines and double yellow lines, and better provisional of safe areas to cross on both Maney Hill Road and the school, more importantly on Wylde Green Road. It is unlikely that the increase in catchment area itself would actually increase traffic - the children all the homes would still be comfortably within walking distance of the school. However, safety of the local roads and throughout convenience for working families will necessarily increase the number of cars. However, in comparison with many other schools the year in the area, Maney Hill has much easier and much greater access to appropriate parking near the school so this cannot be seen as groups as a a reason not to expand. body, and the staffs and organisational strengths and weaknesses which gives me a broader knowledge with which to pass comment on the proposed expansion. Pupil No I do not want this expansion to take place because: It will lead to disruption at the school. Local residents to see a huge increase in traffic. The outstanding status will fall The pressure is in boldmere so fix the issue in this area not shift the problem into wylde green. The class in 2015 Sept was not ready in time hence 60 children were in 1 class going over the legal space limit. The whole expansion has been badly managed and planned. The local area is not designed for a 210 intake, hence its very dangerous ie crossing the road.

Pupil No The School building and grounds are not big enough to expand on a year to year basis. This will reduce the amount of space for children to learn, play, have their dinner, the playgrounds and sports hall for assembles, children and parent activities and after school clubs. I am concerned about the safety of the children in and around the school property. The amount of traffic it will cause. The impact on the children's education.

Pupil No I am totally and utterly against this ill-thought out, dangerous and stupid plan. My main concern is the safety of my child and other parents children. The traffic build up around the school at the moment is at breaking point. The idea of this being doubled over the next few years is down right unsafe and if my child is injured as a result of the stupidity of Birmingham City Council, I will be taking the most severe legal action I can and will be informing the local media that I had raised these concerns to you only to be ignored. I am of the opinion that any expansion will have a detrimental effect on my child's education due to the upheaval it will cause, the over turn in staff, your failed experiment at White House Common just strengthens my view. This is a small community school and part of the reason it has been so successful over the last few decades is due keeping the class sizes small enabling teachers to give a lot of attention to pupils which will no longer be the case if this hair brained scheme sees the light of day. It must also be noted that Maney Hill always had a great headmistress which sadly is not the case now, the replacement seems more interested in bumping up her own pay packet than the welfare of the children. The area is not ideal for a school doubling its size, a fantastic playground and sports area will be lost forever and I honestly believe standards will drop and most importantly children's safety will be put a risk. Birmingham City Council needs to look at this very seriously, I think a new school should be built in the local are to accommodate new children and the money it would cost be better spent rather than destroying an established and successful school

Pupil No The building work that has taken place for the extra reception class has already disrupted my lessons and I don't want anymore to take place. We are lucky to have a field but I am worried that more building would take this away. It would also destroy the wildlife that we have worked so hard to attract. Already because of the new reception class we have not been allowed on the field and playground sometimes and I have to wait longer for my lunch and get rushed. Also I walk to school and already find it hard to cross the road outside school. If there are more children there will be more cars and this will get harder.

I live locally No I have discussed this with my children too and we all feel it will completely change the school and not for the better. I feel that it and also my had a family feel to the school. The children stayed as a class through out the seven years which I liked but with two form entries three children classes are often changed round several times so the children do not have such close bonds with classmates. Although I attended appreciate the school does have nice fields which are large in size I do not think the school could accommodate 240 children this Maney hill would have adverse impact of children and their ability to enjoy open spaces. It has been an outstanding school but I believe the distrust ion caused by the expansion would not benefit the school. I live in Rowan road but feel that traffic and parking problems would be made worse too.

as a parent Yes Money hill is a massive site with only 1 form entry- it's a joke it hasn't been done before - it's already proven re applications they concerned by could easily fill places 3 times over. the lack of school places in Sutton and yet watching as more and more houses get built. It's crisis point already - it will be more chaos in coming years.

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