Nishkam Primary School and the Nishkam Secondary School
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Free Schools - Proposal Form The Proposal Form asks you for details on the educational rationale, aims and objectives, parental demand and premises of the proposed Free School. It also asks questions about the suitability of the provider(s) involved. All new Free Schools will be opened with the same legal status as Academies, in a binding agreement with the Secretary of State. Please note, all information provided in this form will be published on the Department for Education website. INITIAL DETAILS Name (Please specify if you are the nominated representative of an organisation that wishes to set up a Free School) <redacted>. (The nominated representatve of Nishkam Education) Name of your organisation Nishkam Education Trust (Charity registered as Guru Nanak Nishkam Education Trust) Address (of organisation or individual) <redacted>, Handsworth, Birmingham, <redacted> Email Contact <redacted> Telephone Number <redacted> (office) <redacted> (mobile) Are you an existing independent school wanting to convert to a Free School? No If yes, please provide your 6-digit school unique reference number (URN) N/A 1 If no, please confirm the nature of your organisation (educational group / charity / business / parent group etc) A registered educational charity and company limited by guarantee. Please confirm whether your organisation is incorporated i.e. set up as a Company which is registered at Companies House. If so, please provide the Company Registration Number, Company Address and details of the Directors and Secretary. If not, please indicate the approximate date by which it will be incorporated. Yes, our organisation is incorporated Company Registration Number: 04614219 Company Address: <redacted>, Handsworth, Birmingham <redacte Details of Directors and Secretary: Chairman: <redacted> Secretary: <redacted> No, our organisation is not yet incorporated Approximate date by which it will be incorporated: NA 2 What is the proposed age range of the Free School? Please include details of planned pupil numbers in each year group. The Nishkam Free School will serve children aged 3 -16 years. The overall service will be developed as an 'all-through' school in two stages, as outlined below. A. Stage 1: Will consist of the following three elements. a. The existing Nursery for 3 - 5 year olds (1 Form Entry setting, with a capacity of 58 pupils). • It has been operating since September 2009. • It is makes an essential contribution to the overall education vision. • It is funded entirely by our parent organisation. • It will not require financial assistance from the DfE. b. A new primary school for 5 -11 year olds (2 Form Entry school, with a capacity of 420 pupils). • To open immediately to all age groups. • Planned pupil numbers (PPNs) in September 2011 are 240. • Reception classes will have a full cohort of 60 pupils. • Each of the other 6 year groups will have an average of 30 pupils. • PPNs will rise to the full capacity of 420 pupils in the following 2 years. c. A new secondary school for 11 - 16 year olds (4 Form Entry school, with a capacity of 600 pupils). • Also opening immediately to all ages. • PPNs in September 2011 for the Year 7 cohort will be 120. • Each of the other 4 year groups will have an average of 60 pupils. • Total recruitment in September 2011 will be 360. • PPNs will rise to the full capacity of 600 pupils in the following 2 years. B. Stage 2: Consists of expanding the capacity in the following way. a. The Nursery enlarging to a 2 Form Entry (FE) setting. b. The Primary School established in stage 1 continuing as a 2 FE school. c. The Secondary School increasing to 5 or possibly 6 FE entry school. continued .... 3 C. Summary. This is an application for funding of Stage 1 of the initiative, to establish the Nishkam Primary School and the Nishkam Secondary School. We are mindful of the complexities of opening the 2 elements simultaneously. We would wish to discuss these plans with the DfE and are open to alternative proposals, particularly in relation to our plans to open the School to all year groups in September 2011. 4 When do you hope the Free School will start operating (for your first set of pupils)? We would hope to open Stage 1 of the initiative in September 2011 and Stage 2 to be established at later date. The above project timelines have been developed in response to parental demands and the imperative to offer continuity of service to the children in the Nishkam Nursery. Stage 1. a. Nishkam Primary School to open in September 2011. This demanding timescale is necessary and feasible because of the following reasons. • There is significant parent demand to open as early as possible. (We are in a position to open much earlier in 2011). • Our parent organisation already owns the premises which are partly refurbished. • There is existing planning approval for educational use for majority of the buildings on this site. • We have developed detailed design proposals for the site. b. The Nishkam Secondary School also to open in September 2011. This demanding timescale is necessary and feasible because of the following reasons. • There is significant parent demand to open as early as possible. • Our parent organisation already owns the premises. • We do not expect planning issues. We have had positive preliminary discussions with the planning authority. The site was previously used as a training centre and offices. • The existing buildings are in excellent condition. • We have developed detailed design proposals for the site Stage 2. The subsequent stages will be developed to meet demand and after approval from the DfE. Our parent organisation already owns the site with sufficient capacity to meet our total stage 2 requirements. 5 In which Local Authority area will the school be based? If you are near to a LA boundary, please include name of neighbouring LA(s) Local Authority - Birmingham Neighbouring LAs - Sandwell, Solihull, Dudley and Walsall. Is your Local Authority aware of your intention to set up a Free School? Yes (If Y please give details of your discussions with them so far) We have been working closely both with Birmingham City Council and the Department since 2002. The initial discussions were initiated as a response to educational issues raised by local parents. Between 2006 and 2008, the discussions intensified as our responses to the issues evolved into firm proposals and new education provision was developed. This provision supplemented the main stream programmes and contributed to broadening education in Birmingham. We began to collaborate with both the <redacted>, for <redacted>, to develop firm proposals to achieve the following: expand primary and early years provision in Handsworth; contribute to the wider issue of a shortage of primary places in the area; increase diversity of provision; and raise standards. We were also successful in our negotiations with <redacted> to become a promoter of a VA Faith School and an Academies sponsor. More recently we have started working directly with the <redacted>, the <redacted> and <redacted>. We are collaborating to take forward wider community regeneration projects and extend support for the education endeavours. On 27 October 2008, the Secretary of State granted us Consent to Publish Proposals for a new Sikh-ethos primary school in Handsworth, on 3 main grounds: • contribution to local diversity; • strong local support; and • contribution to raising the low education standards in Birmingham, which remained below the national average. In relation to our current proposals, we have informed Birmingham Council of our plans and asked for an early meeting. We have sent a copy of this application both to the <redacted>, <redacted> and <redacted>. We will continue to work closely with the LA in their new role as commissioner of education services and as a source of local support to education providers. 6 Have you discussed your proposal form with the New Schools Network? Yes (If Y please give details of your discussions with them so far) The NSN has been supporting us since their inception. This support has increased in recent months. They are supportive of our proposal. NSN has kindly provided feedback to this application. 7 SUITABILITY OF PROVIDER The Secretary of State will consider each proposal on its merits, and take into account all matters relevant to that proposal. Generally, he would expect that all proposals will comply with all aspects of the rigorous suitability and vetting tests throughout the application process, including due diligence and CRB checks and will reject any proposers who advocate violence, intolerance, hatred or whose ideology runs counter to the UK’s democratic values. Do any of the following apply to the organisation (or any consortium member), or to (any of) its director(s)/partners/proprietor(s) or individual applicants (select Y/N): Is in a state of bankruptcy, insolvency, compulsory winding up, receivership, composition with creditors (including any Individual Voluntary Arrangement), or subject to an No Administration Order or any legal proceedings concerning their solvency? Has been convicted of a criminal offence? No Is involved in any illegal activities? No Has not fulfilled obligations related to payment of taxes? No Is guilty of serious misrepresentation in supplying No information? Is not in possession of relevant licences or membership of No an appropriate organisation where required by law? Is barred from certain work with children as a result of being: [a] included in the list of those barred from No Regulated Activity with children, kept by the Independent Safeguarding Authority? Or [b] included in the list kept under section 1 of the No Protection of Children Act 1999(4) (list of those considered by the Secretary of State as unsuitable to work with children)? Or [c] subject to a direction of the Secretary of State No under section 142 of the Education Act 2002 (5) (or any other disqualification, prohibition or restriction which takes effect as if contained in such a direction)? Or 8 [d] disqualified from working with children under No sections 28, 29 or 29A of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000(6)? For further information on [a], [b], [c] and [d], please contact the CRB www.crb.homeoffice.gov.uk.