Elmbridge Education Provision Assessment 2011 Produced in partnership by Elmbridge Borough Council and Surrey County Council Contact details Elmbridge Borough Council Email: [email protected] Telephone: 01372 474787 Address: Planning Policy Team, Elmbridge Borough Council, Civic Centre, High Street, Esher, Surrey, KT10 9SD Website: www.elmbridge.gov.uk/planning/policy Surrey County Council Telephone: 0300 200 1004 Address: County Hall, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames, London KT1 2DN Website: www.surreycc.gov.uk elmbridge Important Notice - Disclaimer In relation to the information contained within this report, the Council makes the following disclaimer without prejudice: The Education Provision Assessment (EPA) forms part of the evidence base for the preparation and delivery of the Core Strategy, part of the Local Development Framework, in particular Policy CS16: Social and Community Infrastructure. It represents a 'snapshot' in time. The EPA is an evidence base that demonstrates that education need can be met within the spatial framework set out in the Core Strategy (Policy CS1) and that sufficient land is available. It does not allocate sites and does not mean that the Council will grant planning permission and/or support proposals on those sites where potential capacity for school expansion is identified. All proposals will be considered against the the relevant national and local planning policies and other material considerations that may apply. Independent schools have been involved with the project from the outset and Surrey County Council as the Local Education Authority have represented state schools within the Borough. However, the assessment has not been subject to formal consultation with schools. The assessment is not intended to be definitive but to provide an indication of those existing school sites where the potential for expansion to accommodate additional school places exists (in terms of land capacity) focusing on those within the urban areas. It represents the first stage in the sequential approach to identifying suitable locations for school expansion. However, there may be instances whereby the County Council consider that expansion of schools within the Green Belt would offer the most appropriate solution to addressing need. This has been reflected within the assessment acknowledging that this does not accord with the spatial framework set out in the Core Strategy and that any proposal would need to be considered against the policies within the Core Strategy and Planning Policy Guidance note 2: Green Belts, and exceptional circumstances would need to be demonstrated. The EPA provides a framework for developing a long-term, comprehensive strategy for education planning in Elmbridge and helps to assess individual proposals as they come forward. The Council will continue to work closely with the County Council, in consultation with schools, to ensure that the need for education can be accommodated and planned for in the most sustainable way. The site assessments have been undertaken with reference to indicative government space guidelines and site suitability alone. It is fully acknowledged that in taking this work forward a number of other factors relevant to the education planning process will need to be taken into account in refining choices about the most appropriate locations for the provision of additional school places. The information detailed in the site assessment forms and accompanying maps is based on the best and most up-to-date information available at the time the assessment was carried out. There may be some omission/inaccuracies, for which neither Council accepts liability. It is therefore important to note that any future proposals will continue to be assessed on their own merits at the time of the planning application rather than on information contained within the assessment. elmbridge Executive Summary 1 1 Introduction 2 Context 2 Purpose 3 2 Approach and Methodology 5 State education provision 5 Independent education provision 8 Sequential approach 10 Education provision outside of the Borough 11 Partnership approach 11 3 Primary education provision in Elmbridge 12 Walton-on-Thames and Hersham 14 Weybridge 17 East and West Molesey 20 Thames Ditton, Long Ditton, Hinchley Wood and Weston Green 23 Cobham, Oxshott, Stoke D'Abernon and Downside 26 Esher and Claygate 29 4 Secondary education provision in Elmbridge 32 Existing secondary provision 32 Need for additional state secondary provision identified in Surrey EOPAC 33 elmbridge Potential capacity to meet future need for state secondary provision 33 Future independent provision 34 5 Education provision in adjoining areas 35 Primary provision in adjoining areas 35 Secondary provision in adjoining areas 39 6 Next steps 45 Appendix 1:Copy of Core Strategy policy CS16: Social and Community Infrastructure 46 Appendix 2: Individual Site Assessments by Settlement Area 52 Appendix 3: Independent Schools - Information Request Sheet 153 Appendix 4: Map of borough-wide education provision 155 elmbridge Executive Summary .1 The purpose of this education assessment is to ensure that there is sufficient land available in Elmbridge to accommodate the education needs identified in the Surrey Education Organisation Policies and Context (EOPAC) 2010-19 within the spatial framework of the Core Strategy. .2 It provides an initial assessment of the potential options for accommodating the projected increased demand for state school places in Elmbridge on land already in education use, focusing on the urban areas. It aims to provide a range of options as to where expansion may be possible solely taking account of recommended space guidelines and the suitability of the site. It represents the first stage in the process for developing the action plan as set out in Core Strategy Policy CS16: Social and Community Infrastructure. It takes account of education provision and identified need in adjoining areas as well as any specific plans for expansion, and the role of independent schools. .3 It has been prepared in partnership with Surrey County Council, as the Local Education Authority, and engaged with other key stakeholders from the independent sector. .4 The assessment is not intended to be definitive about the future capacity of schools, and where development should take place, however, it can provide an overview of where potential capacity may exist and form the basis of further feasibility work. It is intended as a first step and to provide sound evidence to support the Core Strategy demonstrating that overall the need for education in the Borough can be met on existing school sites within the urban areas. .5 Surrey County Council will undertake further work in due course to produce a long-term 1 expansion strategy for Surrey schools and in doing so will need to take account of a wide range of factors including parental choice, diversity and accessibility etc all of which influence the choice of options as to where school expansion should take place to provide the most sustainable solution that best meets the education needs of the Borough. .6 The report is structured as follows: elmbridge .7 Part 1 of the report sets out the background and purpose of the assessment. Part 2 sets out approach taken to the assessment, both for state and independent schools. Part 3 of the report relates to primary education provision in Elmbridge. It provides a general overview of existing provision and the need for additional provision. It then goes on to look at existing primary provision, future need and how this could be accommodated on a settlement area basis. This was considered appropriate given that demand for primary places is focused at a local level with children generally attending schools within the settlement in which they live. .8 Part 4 relates to secondary education provision in Elmbridge and provides a general overview of existing provision, future need and how this could be accommodated. The nature of secondary school provision means that travel distances are greater and therefore it was considered appropriate to assess the potential capacity to accommodate future need at a borough-wide level. .9 Part 5 of the report looks at both primary and secondary education provision in adjoining borough’s/districts where these may have a role in meeting need within Elmbridge. Finally, Part 6 of the report sets out the next steps. 1 Introduction 1.1 The Elmbridge Education Provision Assessment is a key document that will support the delivery of sufficient land to accommodate the education needs of an increase in pupils arising from new development and increasing birth rates. It will help to ensure that education is provided in the most sustainable locations across the Borough, and as close as possible to the population it is intended to serve. It draws specifically on information on the need for education in Elmbridge and the surrounding areas identified in the Surrey Education Organisation Policies and Context (EOPAC) 2010-2019 (1)as well as education strategies produced by adjoining boroughs/districts. The document has been prepared by Elmbridge Borough Council, in partnership with Surrey County Council and in consultation with independent schools. 1.2 The assessment will provide important evidence to support the Core Strategy(2), part of the Council’s Local Development Framework (LDF), demonstrating how the delivery of education facilities can meet projected need. Context National & Regional 1.3 Local infrastructure provision is a key element of the spatial planning approach as outlined in Planning Policy Statement 12 (PPS12) - Local Spatial Planning(3), with the LDF playing a key role in co-ordinating the level of infrastructure and services in a local area to ensure that it meets current and future demands in amount and distribution. 2 1.4 In order to achieve this, Local Planning Authorities are required to set out within their core strategies the infrastructure that is needed to support the level of development being proposed within their LDF. PPS12 clearly states that this should not be a wish list of infrastructure provision that does not have a reasonable chance of being delivered.