South Gloucestershire Local Authority School Organisational Plan 2007 – 2012 This document can be downloaded from our website http://www.southglos.gov.uk/SOP This plan was approved for publication in December 2007 Department for Children and Young People DOCUMENT REFERENCE COVER SHEET For information Document Purpose: (E.g. For information, for guidance etc South Gloucestershire School Organisation Plan 2007-12 Document Title: Author: Tanya Smith 124 Number of Pages: 21 January 2008 Publication Date: Schools (Head Teacher and Chair of Governors), Council Members, Target Audience: Parish Councils, Diocese, Unions, SMF, Council Offices, One Stop Shops, Neighbouring LAs, Further Education Colleges, Learning and Skills Council, Connexions, Local Learning Partnerships, Early Also Sent To: Years Development and Childcare Partnership, School Organisation Committee Members, Admission Forum Members and local MPs. Naomi Gathercole, Planning and Policy Further Copies from: Further Information from: Price: D300-1-044-08 Document Reference: Keywords: South Gloucestershire School Organisation Plan 2007-2012 Summary: The South Gloucestershire School Organisation Plan 2007-12 is a key strategic document that sets out proposals for how the Local Authority will provide sufficient school places to meet the needs of the school population in its area. Replaces/Updates/Relates To: South Gloucestershire Council Copyright: Internet/Intranet Address: www.southglos.gov.uk/SOP Controlled Vocabulary Terms This information can be made available in other languages, in large print, braille or on audio tape. Please phone 01454 868686 if you need any of these or any other help to access Council services. SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNCIL LOCAL AUTHORITY SCHOOL ORGANISATION PLAN 2007-2012 CONTENTS Page Introduction 1 PART A: Context: current school provision and 4 demographic information relating to the supply of school places Profile of South Gloucestershire 4 Actual and Projected Pupil Numbers in South 5 Gloucestershire Mainstream Schools for 2006-2011 Factors Taken Into Account in Pupil Number 5 Projections Other Statistics for School Organisation Planning 6 Current Mainstream School Provision in South 6 Gloucestershire Number of Mainstream School Places 8 Shortfalls in Places and Surplus Places in 8 Mainstream Schools Volatility Factors 9 Admission Forum 10 School Organisation Committee Work in 2006-2007 10 PART B: The Local Authority’s Policy and Principles in 12 Planning School Places School Organisation Planning 13 Role of Partnership 14 Balance of Support and Intervention 15 Collaborative Provision 15 Asset Management, Capital Planning and 16 Expenditure Finance and Value for Money 16 Location of Schools 17 Trends in School Admissions 17 Population Changes and Housing 18 Planned School Sizes and Effectiveness 19 Small Schools and Schools in Rural Areas 20 Infant and Junior Schools 20 Infant Class Sizes 21 Approach to Surplus Places 21 Denominational Provision 22 Home to School Travel 22 Meeting Community Needs 23 PART C: Conclusions about the need to add, remove, 26 relocate or reorganise places in particular areas of the Local Authority Appendices: Detailed Statistics Relating to Part A 109 Glossary: Terms and Abbreviations Used in the Plan 120 LOCAL AUTHORITY SCHOOL ORGANISATION PLAN 2007-2012 INTRODUCTION The School Organisation Plan and the Children and Young People Plan The Local Authority is now under a statutory requirement to produce an overall single plan that covers all services for children and young people aged 0-19 in the area, and certain vulnerable young people aged between 19 and 25 receiving services. The single Children and Young People Plan (CYPP) is an overarching plan and has replaced the previous range of individual Local Authority plans. Five key outcomes are defined by the Children Act 2004 to form the basis of each Local Authority’s Children and Young People Plan: • being healthy • staying safe • enjoying and achieving • making a positive contribution • achieving economic well being Within the framework of the CYPP, there are detailed contributory plans setting out information and proposals for particular areas of Local Authority services. The School Organisation Plan (SOP) is an important part of this “bookcase” of plans. It deals in detail with the provision of school places to meet the needs of South Gloucestershire. At the same time, the School Organisation Plan contributes to the overall aim of achieving the five key outcomes in the CYPP and particularly “Enjoy and Achieve”. The important links between the SOP and the CYPP are set out at the beginning of Section B of this Plan. The School Organisation Plan also relates closely to the Local Plan produced by South Gloucestershire Council, setting out plans for the future development of housing and the use of land. Housing development, and consequent demographic change, has a considerable impact on the need for services, especially schools. What is a School Organisation Plan? The School Organisation Plan is therefore a key strategic document that sets out how the Local Authority will provide sufficient school places to meet the needs of the school population in its area. 1 It is fundamentally linked to the Local Authority’s responsibilities to promote high standards in education, to make continuing efforts to raise those standards, to enable improved attainment for pupils, to provide well integrated services for children and young people and to strengthen good community relations. The School Organisation Plan is also intended to help key stakeholders and partners in Children and Young People’s Services, including the Local Authority, schools, governors, parents, the churches, local communities, business, and other providers of education, to understand what school places are needed in South Gloucestershire, now and in the future, and how they will be provided. This is particularly important in an area such as South Gloucestershire where demographic changes continue to be significant. This Plan is the eighth update of the South Gloucestershire School Organisation Plan. It covers the period from September 2007 to August 2012 and is based on the number of pupils in January 2007, and projected numbers, and school capacity assessments in December 2006. What the School Organisation Plan Contains The Plan contains information on how the Local Authority will plan and keep under review the provision of school places. It is intended to meet local needs and contribute to the improvement of educational standards. Effective overall school organisation supports the work of school governors and head teachers in planning in individual schools to make the best provision for children by effective budget deployment, staffing provision and class organisation. The School Organisation Plan is organised in three main parts: Part A – Context: this part sets out an analysis of the current organisation of school provision and the population trends which will affect the planning of school place provision in the coming five years. Part B – Policies and Principles: this part sets out the Local Authority’s policies and principles upon which decisions on future school provision will be based in order to offer a good and improving standard of education and to support the key outcomes, objectives and targets set out in the Children and Young People Plan. Part C – Conclusions and Plans: this part sets out proposals for future school provision in each geographical area of the Local Authority, and by phase or sector of education, based on the needs set out in Part A and the approaches set out in Part B. 2 Making Changes in School Organisation Before the introduction of the CYPP, the School Organisation Plan was considered for approval by an independent local body known as the School Organisation Committee. The School Organisation Committee was also the statutory body that considered individual school reorganisation proposals except changes to school Admission Numbers which are now dealt with as part of admission arrangement procedures. Under the Education and Inspections Act 2006, School Organisation Committees have been abolished with effect from 25 May 2007. Decisions on school organisation proposals are now to be made by the Local Authority or by the Schools Adjudicator depending on the nature of the proposal and who is the proposer. This takes account also of new legal provisions to encourage a range of proposals for new schools and the introduction of competitions to identify who will promote a new school. Subject to conditions, the Local Authority is still able to make proposals in regard to school provision, including the promotion of new schools, and alteration and closure of existing school provision. With these changes, the School Organisation Plan remains an important contextual document in considering proposals relating to individual schools. 3 PART A CONTEXT: CURRENT SCHOOL PROVISION AND DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION RELATING TO THE SUPPLY OF SCHOOL PLACES Profile of South Gloucestershire The primary school population has decreased from 22,791 in September 1998 to 21,310 in September 2006, a decrease of 6.5%. The 11-15 numbers in secondary schools have grown from 13,562 in September 1998 to 15,105 in September 2006, an increase of 11.4%. The 16+ numbers in secondary schools have grown from 2,228 in September 1998 to 2,386 in September 2006 an increase of 7.1%. The numbers in special schools maintained by the Local Authority have fallen from 340 in September 1998 to 264 in September 2006, a decrease