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Page 1 The documents that make up the Area Plans1 are in two sections: Section 1 (this document) sets out the Context and Policy Framework for all the Area Plans. Section 2 provides the details of the Place Planning Information and Key Issues for each of the planning areas Section 1 Contents: 1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………... 3 2. The purpose of Area Plans……………………………………………………....... 4 3. Format of the Area Plans…………………………………………………………... 5 4. The principles that guide decision-making………………………………………. 6 5. Early Years Provision…………………………………………………………......... 7 6. 11-19 Developments………………………………………………………………... 8 7. Surplus places…………………………………………………………………........ 9 8. Size and Type of Schools………………………………………………………….. 9 9. Summary of Broad Options for Consideration…………………………………… 11 10. Appendix 1: Map of the Primary Planning Areas and District Boundaries……. 15 11. Appendix 2: District Council Housing Development Plans…………………….. 16 12. Appendix 3: Explanation of the data contained in the tables in Section 2........ 17 1 Any reference to “Area Plan(s)” in these documents is shorthand for “Early Years and School Place Plans” Page 2 1. Introduction Buckinghamshire County Council (the local authority (LA)) has a statutory duty to ensure that there are sufficient school places in the county, promote high educational standards, ensure fair access to educational opportunity and promote parental choice through supporting the diversity of provision. It also has a duty to ensure a sufficiency of supply of Early Years places for, three and four years olds and two year olds from disadvantaged families and to take reasonably practicable steps to secure sufficient childcare places (0 – 14 years) for working parents and those wishing to return to work, and up to 18 years for disabled children. Therefore, the LA needs to keep the pattern and organisation of Early Years and school places under review during a period of significant demographic change. In Buckinghamshire this work is characterised by an overall decline in the pupil population in some areas, leading to more surplus places, whilst in other areas it is necessary to increase the number of school places due to new housing developments. Within these general trends there can be significant variations in numbers of children in local areas looking for places from one year to the next for which it can be difficult to predict and plan. For example, the migration of families into areas served by popular schools and the impact of the economic climate on the numbers of families opting to take up independent school places. We also need to try and account for a range of other factors that impact on the numbers on roll at schools such as parental preference and transport links. Although there is no longer a requirement to publish a School Organisation Plan, it is considered good practice to publish school place planning information to provide a consistent framework for reviewing the provision of places. There are 19 primary and 3 secondary planning areas across the county. These reflect established patterns of pupil movement, which are linked to catchment areas and feeder school links, local community boundaries established by BCC for the delivery of local services and the Local Children and Young People’s Partnership Board areas. A map of the primary planning areas is at Appendix 1. The secondary planning areas are broadly based on the district boundaries – Aylesbury Vale, Wycombe (including Holmer Green and Beaconsfield) and Chiltern & South Bucks (excluding Holmer Green and Beaconsfield). The national context in which these Area Plans are published has changed significantly. The Government is promoting all schools to become Academies and is encouraging the establishment of new Free Schools, both of which impact on the LA’s duty noted above. Academies and Free Schools are independent schools, not maintained by the LA, which means that the LA cannot make proposals for changes to the size, age range or admission arrangements at these schools. Nevertheless, the LA retains the overall responsibility for ensuring a sufficient supply of school places to meet demand and, therefore, they will continue to be included in its planning. In the secondary sector there is also the development of University Technical Colleges for 14 – 19 year olds which is impacting on places in schools. The LA also retains statutory responsibility for the provision of home to school transport. In response to financial pressures and the growth of Academies, the LA has changed its policy in respect of this provision so that this is now more in line with other areas of the country. In particular the new policy removes the links with catchment areas. This change has the potential to affect patterns of parental preference in the coming years. Page 3 Where school organisation changes are proposed (whether these are by the LA or the governing body, as appropriate) the relevant Regulations and guidance (both statutory and non-statutory) need to be followed. Details are available on the DfE website – link below: http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/schoolorganisation Academies need to get in touch with the relevant body to discuss any proposals for changes. 2. The purpose of Area Plans The current pattern and organisation of places has developed over many years in response to many factors but including changing populations both in general demographic terms but also from changing social mobility, new housing policy and employment patterns. changes in the relative popularities of schools influenced by school performance and Ofsted judgements There is a rich mix of both rural and urban schools of different types which supports opportunities in many areas for parents to express preferences for schools other than their nearest local school. Government policy over many years has supported the opportunities for parents to be able to secure places at the school of their preference at the same time as seeking to improve standards in all schools. It has also increasingly supported school autonomy in decision- taking, but as part of a system that encourages inter-school collaboration and partnerships to share expertise and resources. The Admissions Code allows own admission authorities (school governing bodies in the case of Academies, Voluntary Aided and Foundation schools) to increase their Planned Admission Numbers without consultation. For Community and Voluntary Controlled schools where the LA is the admissions authority there is a strong presumption in favour of supporting increases where these are proposed by schools. Nevertheless, the Local Authority continues to have a statutory responsibility for the overall provision of places and its approach to school organisation changes is one of seeking to influence and secure consensus, wherever possible, through discussion with schools. The increase in housing planned across Buckinghamshire is projected to put increased pressure on school places in some areas. In June 2010 Buckinghamshire County Council (BCC) adopted a policy to secure planning obligations towards education provision. The aim of the policy is to secure a coherent and consistent approach to ensuring that developers provide or make appropriate contributions to meet the costs of additional education infrastructure requirements generated by new housing developments. Following the Government’s decision in 2010 to abolish the regional spatial strategy for South East England each of the four District Councils has been reviewing its core strategies for housing developments up to 2026. Brief details of the position in each of the District areas are given in Appendix 2. Page 4 In acknowledging that local areas within Buckinghamshire are very different from each other, we need to have area based local plans that reflect the different pressures and issues of local communities. It is against this backdrop that the Area Plans are published. They each identify issues and potential opportunities for change that the local authority would wish to discuss with schools over the coming months. There may well be others that schools themselves identify and on which the local authority would welcome discussion. Therefore, the Area Plans provide a basis for engagement with schools to discuss and develop opportunities for changes in relation to the following issues: reducing/expanding school places to ensure cost effective provision based on demographic trends and planned housing growth ensuring choice and diversity through the provision of different types of school supporting the identification of priorities for spending available capital money (including developer contributions where appropriate). In any considerations due account will be taken of the principles set out in Section 4 below. The Local Authority has approved its capital funding programme for the next four years to address key needs including the provision of additional school places – although depending on which schemes are progressed additional funding may be required during this period. The programme will incorporate S106 funding received and planned to be received in the future. 3. Format of the Area Plans The Area Plans include reference as appropriate to Early Years provision at schools – see section 5 below. It is important to note that any changes to the pattern and organisation of primary schools may have an impact on the sufficiency and sustainability of some Early Years settings in the Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) sectors. The Area Plans

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