Purpose of CMA and To report on the outcome of the consultation undertaken by Decision Areas the County Council from 6 July 2011 to 17 August 2011 concerning the proposal to discontinue St Andrew's Church of England Aided Primary School, Wormingford.

It is recommended that a statutory notice is published to discontinue St Andrew's Church of England Aided Primary School, Wormingford with effect from 31 December 2011. Both the Local Authority and the Chelmsford Diocesan Board share the view that the school can no longer provide a good and effective educational provision for such a small number of pupils on a cost effective basis. Background, context, and area of the St. Andrew’s Church of England VA Primary School is in County affected. Wormingford village, to the north west of Colchester. It has a net capacity of 56 places and a Published Admission Number (PAN) of 8. Following the retirement of the former headteacher in 2008 the Governing Body formed a collaboration with Boxted St. Peter’s Church of England VC Primary School. This involved the headteacher of Boxted St. Peter’s becoming the Executive Headteacher of both Boxted St. Peter’s and St. Andrew’s schools. The collaboration ceased to continue from April 2011and as a result an interim headteacher was appointed at St. Andrew’s for the summer term. Pupil Numbers

At the time of the consultation there were 13 children on roll at Wormingford St. Andrew’s split across the year groups as follows: Yr R Yr1 Yr2 Yr3 Yr4 Yr5 Yr6 0 2 5 1 1 2 2

The latest figures showing the number of pre-school children registered with a GP who reside in the priority admission area of St. Andrew’s Wormingford are as follows:

Year born 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 Reception Year 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 No of children 6 10 2 1 Source – GP data September 2010

This shows that the number of children in the area fluctuates year on year and whilst there is a potential peak in 2012, in the following two years there are likely to be only 1 or 2 children of reception age living in the priority admissions area of St. Andrew’s. The School would therefore need to attract children from outside the village to significantly increase pupil numbers on roll.

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Admission Patterns Admission patterns over recent years show that the significant majority of parents of primary aged children living in the priority admission area of St. Andrew’s have applied for and secured places at alternative schools.

In January 2011, there were a total of 31 children of primary school age residing in the priority admission area for St. Andrew’s attending an Essex maintained school. Of these 31 children, 9 (29%) were at St. Andrew’s and 22 (71%) at alternative Colchester district schools. Of the 14 children attending St. Andrew’s in January, 5 live outside the priority admissions area.

An Ofsted inspection in December 2009 rated St. Andrew’s to be a ‘good’ school. Pupil progress and attainment was judged as good. Much was made of the enhanced provision, breadth of curriculum and social development enabled by the collaboration with Boxted School. Leadership was judged to be strength of the school. However, the collaboration with Boxted School has dissolved since this Ofsted inspection. An interim headteacher at St Andrew’s is currently in post until the end of the summer term.

It is recognised that small schools can provide a close ‘family’ nurturing environment for particular children. However, when a school becomes exceptionally small in size it can face significant educational and social development challenges. St Andrew’s is the smallest school in Essex by a significant margin.

Area of the County affected

Wormingford to the north west of Colchester

Options/Proposals Given the declining pupil numbers at the school, the very limited prospect of future growth and other circumstances at the school The County Council and the Diocese has had to consider seriously the future of St. Andrew’s School and has held discussions with the Governing Body to find a way forward. The County Council and the Diocese concluded that the school is now too small with little realistic prospect of growth to be sustainable and decided to consult on a proposal that the school should close with effect from 31 August 2011 or sooner if appropriate. Following further discussion with the Governing Body and parents, the Governing Body notified the County Council that its preferred policy was to cease providing education at St Andrew’s from September 2011.

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In the light of this decision the County Council held discussions with the governors of Fordham All Saints School and whilst they regretted the need for St. Andrew’s to close they were supportive and committed to the ongoing education of the St. Andrew’s pupils. Whilst the school was full to its published admission number in most year groups, the governors agreed exceptionally to admit all the additional pupils from St. Andrew’s in September 2011 if parents wished this. This option was made available to the parents of all pupils who would be on roll at St. Andrew’s in September 2011, the time when the governors had decided to cease providing education. However, parents could of their own choosing seek admission to another school. The Local Authority has agreed to provide additional funding to allow Fordham All Saints to ensure that the quality of provision for all pupils is maintained.

Those children residing in the priority admission area of St. Andrew’s transferring to Fordham All Saints as part of this arranged process will, as an exception to normal policy, be given free transport.

For future admissions, the admission arrangements for Fordham All Saints will be modified to include the priority admission area for Wormingford, St Andrew’s. Conclusions The top priority for education in Essex is to improve the life chances of all young people through accessing the best possible learning opportunities that raise aspirations and equip them with the right skills and qualifications. However, as pupil numbers decline it can become increasingly difficult to secure and maintain strong leadership and retain good teachers in schools as both seek to progress their careers. This may have a negative pressure on sustaining high educational standards. In such circumstances, partnership working and federation has helped schools maintain standards and remain viable. For example it solves the difficult challenge of finding a good new headteacher. However, despite these options, on occasions it is necessary to consider very seriously the educational and financial viability of a school where pupil numbers reach very low levels and are not predicted to rise in the foreseeable future.

St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School in Wormingford has seen a decline in number on roll in recent years. Essex County Council and the Diocese of Chelmsford have concluded that the school is now too small to be sustainable with little realistic prospect of growth. The per pupil cost of providing education at St Andrew’s for the

Cabinet Member Action tmpl 4 financial year 2011-2012, based on the 14 pupils on roll at January 2011, is £13,774 which is almost four times the County average of £3,754. The budget per pupil for the next smallest school in Essex is twice the County average.

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Relevance to ECC’s Essex County Council has a statutory duty to commission corporate plan and sufficient school places within its area. The key role of the other Strategic Plans planning function is to maintain a balance between the supply and demand of school places, with regard to future projections of pupil numbers, demographic trends, parental preference and policy priorities.

Internal and External A public consultation was conducted between 6 July 2011 Consultation and 17 August 2011. Approximately 500 consultation booklets were distributed to stakeholders as part of this process, which included the parents or guardians of all pupils on roll at Wormingford St Andrew’s, and also those with children attending Fordham All Saints Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School. Other parties consulted included the Anglican Diocese of Chelmsford, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brentwood, the local Essex County Council Members, Colchester MPs Bob Russell and Bernard Jenkin (within whose constituency Wormingford St Andrew’s is located), Colchester Borough Council, Wormingford Parish Council and Suffolk County Council. Details of the consultation were available on Essex County Council’s website, and also directly from the School Organisation and Planning Team at County Hall. Further consultation documents were sent to all Colchester libraries with a request that they be displayed publicly so that anyone who wished to could take one.

Two meetings were held with Wormingford St Andrew’s staff, the first on 12 July 2011 (at the school) and the second on 22 July 2011 (at the Colchester Centre, which was attended by a Trade Union representative). A meeting for parents was held on the evening of 12 July 2011, the details of which having been given on a letter home from the school, issued at the start of the consultation. Officers met with the governing bodies of Wormingford St Andrew’s and Fordham All Saints as part of their respective full governing body meetings, held shortly before the formal commencement of consultation. A ‘drop in’ session was arranged for the local community and all other interested parties, which took place between 3.30pm and 8.30pm on 19 July 2011 at Wormingford St. Andrew’s Primary School. This session had been advertised in the local press the week before. It was agreed with the Wormingford St Andrew’s governing body that it would not be appropriate for Officers to meet with the pupils, as they were aware of what was proposed and had all had opportunities to make their feelings known within the school.

Cabinet Member Action tmpl 6 A relatively small number of responses were received to the consultation as follows:

Category of Respondant In Favour Not In % of In Favour Neutral Total (Conditional) Favour Respondents Parent(s)/Family 1 0 0 2 3 30.00% Governing Body (of school in consultation) 0 0 0 1 1 10.00% Parish Council 0 0 0 1 1 10.00% ECC Councillor 1 0 1 0 2 20.00% Other/Unknown 1 0 0 2 3 30.00% Total 3 0 1 6 10 100.00% % of Respondents 30.00% 0.00% 10.00% 60.00% 100.00%

Analysis of the responses received to the consultation:

Six objections were received and one was from the Governing Body of St. Andrew’s CE (A) Primary School.

The main issues raised against the closure proposal were:

It is the family atmosphere combined with very good academic results that many parents see as being so special and so valuable; The effects of closure of the school will be severe on the village, stretching far beyond the immediate circle of current parents; Wormingford is a tiny village with at present a pub, a church, a village hall, a shop, a school and cricket and football clubs as the focal points of the village. Many friendships and connections are formed through the village school, and the loss of the school will be a severe blow to the fabric and cohesion of the community.

Being a small school has not been a downside for our children, it has been a plus and the education is tailor made for our children.

The decision to close a village school could have implications for the long term future of a community.

The Education Authority is at fault in not promoting St. Andrew’s as a viable concern, and encouraging potential parents to view it as a suitable haven for the future of their children.

With such demand around Colchester for quality primary school places St Andrew’s Wormingford appears as the school to be developed.

Cabinet Member Action tmpl 7 I hope a way can be found for the building to continue as a school in some form of partnership with Fordham

The cost of transporting the children from St Andrews twice a day to Fordham must be quite significant.

Response:

The number on roll at St Andrew’s has been declining over the years and pupil forecasts indicate that this will continue. 29% of children of primary school age who live in the priority admission area attend the school while 71% attend other primary schools in Colchester Borough. The village and community have not been supporting the local school and as a result the school is now at a point where it is so small it is not cost effective. Given this lack of popularity it is not appropriate to see the school expanded to accommodate pupils from elsewhere. Parents could have chosen this option in recent years if they had so wished as many have for other village schools outside Colchester.

It is recognised that small schools can provide a close ‘family’ nurturing environment for particular children. However, when a school becomes exceptionally small in size it can face significant educational and social development challenges. For example: the school may have difficulty recruiting a suitable good headteacher due to the size of the school; there would be fewer opportunities for the development of children in larger groups which may lead to low self esteem and lack of confidence; there would be few adult and child role models available to children which could impact on their personal and social development; standards may drop due to a reduced range of curriculum experiences; there may be difficulty in ensuring a good breadth of curriculum provision to match the needs of all pupils in such a small group with a wide range of age and ability; there could be difficulty for children in making the transition to secondary school and there could be reduced learning capacity in Year 7 on entry to secondary school.

The contribution of the village school to the life of a village is also recognised and was identified in the report of the Essex Rural Commission. However, this has to be balanced against the fact that over two thirds of local parents do not support the village school and the cost of providing education at the school for the children of those who do has now reached an unacceptable level. The additional money required to keep the school running is money that could be recycled within the overall schools budget to the benefit of

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The Diocese supports the Local Authority proposal for closure of St Andrew’s Church of England School. It recognises the desire of some of the local community for the site to be used for community benefit and as the school site is in the trusteeship of the Diocese of Chelmsford, they are willing to have discussions about the possible alternative uses of the site to benefit the community within the provisions of the trust.

Views of the Governing Body

The Governing Body of St Andrew’s CE (A) Primary School wrote (Annex A) via e mail at 18.50 on 18 August, the day after the consultation closed to express its unreserved objection to the proposed closure of the school. They cite the many unique benefits of a very small school for children and the community and the loss that will result from the proposed closure. The governing body did not strongly oppose the closure during the consultation period or at the meetings or drop-ins with parents and the community, nor did they express strong opposition at the governing body meeting where they were consulted.

Whilst many of the points put forward by the governing body are recognised, they state that Wormingford School is unique in the county, and probably unique anywhere in the UK, apart from tiny isolated rural communities. Wormingford is not really a tiny isolated rural community. It is one of many small villages to the north west of Colchester and is about 7 miles from Colchester itself as well as being quite close to a number of other larger villages and towns where parents tend to send their children for education. As a result it is this general lack of support by the local community for the local school that means that St Andrew’s is simply not cost effective despite what could be regarded as some of the benefits of a small school. However, it could be argued that many of the outcomes of such a small school can be achieved by larger village schools or town schools.

Legal Implications The consultation was formulated and carried out in (Monitoring Officer) accordance with The School Organisation (Establishment and Discontinuance of Schools) (England) Regulations 2007 (as amended). The consultation period ran from 6 July 2011 to 17 August 2011.

The decision on the closure proposal will be taken by the County Council with some rights of appeal to the schools adjudicator. In considering statutory proposals to close a

Cabinet Member Action tmpl 9 rural school, the Decision Maker should have regard to the need to preserve access to a local school for rural communities. There is therefore a presumption against the closure of rural schools. This does not mean that a rural school will never close, but the case for closure should be strong and the proposal clearly in the best interests of educational provision in the area. St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School, Wormingford is designated as a rural school.

Finance and Resources The Local Authority has agreed to provide additional funding Implications to Fordham All Saints School for admitting the pupils from St (Section 151 Officer) Andrew’s in September 2011 to allow the school to ensure that the quality of provision for all pupils is maintained. This funding will be provided from the Opening, Closing and Reorganising Schools budget which is top sliced from the DSG.

St Andrew’s had accumulated balances of £35,615 at 1 April 2011 and received a full year budget of £192,836 for 2011- 12 as there was no suggestion of closure at the beginning of the financial year. The school no longer has any pupils but will continue until the proposed closure date of 31 December 2011. Staff redundancy costs and associated pension strain (where applicable) are currently estimated as £49,243.35 (redundancy payments £36,197.97 + pension strain £13,045.38) will be met from the school budget. Any remaining St Andrew’s budget at the time of closure will be credited to the OCR budget to offset the support provided to Fordham All Saints.

Free transport is being provided as an exception to normal policy for those children residing in the priority admission area of St. Andrew’s transferring to Fordham All Saints as part of the managed transfer process. The cost of this transport is £36 per day. It is envisaged that this contract will be able to accommodate future children from the former St Andrew’s area and therefore the future additional cost of transport to this school is likely to be of this order. A contract costing approx £52 per day that used to run into St Andrew’s with a few children who attended the school has now ceased so currently there is a net saving in the cost of transport as a result of this proposal in the order of £16 per day.

Human Resources The closure of St. Andrew’s Church of England Primary Implications School would ordinarily result in redundancies. However, redundancies are being effected now on the basis of diminished need in view of the Governing Body’s decision to

Cabinet Member Action tmpl 10 cease providing education at the school from September 2011. The teaching staff involved are being made redundant on 31 December 2011 and the support staff on 31 October 2011 or as soon thereafter as notice periods allow. They were invited to attend a redundancy meeting, with a union representative if they wished, at which they could make representations. The redundancy process and consultation have been progressed separately from the closure process and consultation. The cost of the redundancies will be met from the St Andrew’s School budget.

Equality Impact An Equality Impact Assessment has not been formally Assessment conducted. Background papers Chief Officer decision to commence consultation Consultation document Minutes of Parents’ meeting and staff meeting Consultation responses

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