DRAFT ITEM NO:C1(a)

SUBJECT: SECONDARY EDUCATION REVIEW - PRE- STATUTORY CONSULTATION DECISION-MAKER: CABINET MEMBER FOR CHILDREN'S SERVICES AND LEARNING DATE OF DECISION: 5 DECEMBER 2005 REPORT VERSION No: 5

FORWARD PLAN No: CL01176 KEY DECISION? YES

STATEMENT OF CONFIDENTIALITY None

WARDS/COMMUNITIES AFFECTED: All wards in the city.

SUMMARY The city’s secondary schools and the Council have a unique opportunity at this time to undertake a restructuring of provision in accordance with government imperatives that will leave schools well placed to enjoy the benefits of specialist status, greater collaboration, and more autonomy, ultimately delivering higher standards of achievement across the city. However, secondary schools are collectively facing a number of significant issues in the future including too many places, concerns about standards in some schools, deficiencies in buildings and sites and, in many cases, sizes of school that are too small to maintain long-term educational and financial viability. This report proposes the undertaking of pre-statutory consultation commencing in late January 2006. It recognises the intrinsic links between a successful configuration of secondary education for the City and other key developments such as those in the areas of transport, neighbourhood renewal and the achievement of social and economic well-being. The report is essentially about the review justification and process. RECOMMENDATIONS: (i) That approval be given to the undertaking of pre-statutory consultation as part of the secondary education review; (ii) That approval of the detailed proposals for pre-statutory consultation be delegated to the Executive Director of Children’s Services and Learning following consultation with the relevant Cabinet members. (iii) That the pre-statutory consultation be undertaken between January and March 2006; (iv) That a detailed pre-statutory consultation leaflet be drawn up and circulated to a wide range of stakeholders to assist the consultation;

1 (v) That the outcome of the pre-statutory consultation be reported to the City Council in June 2006. (vi) That the City Council formally requests the governors and trustees of St Anne’s and St George Catholic Schools, and the Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth, to commence work on a parallel review of Catholic secondary education in the city with a view to reducing surplus places and improving future school organisation in their schools. REASONS FOR REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS 1. A consensus view is emerging across the city that structural change is needed to the city’s secondary education system. It is the Council’s practice, when considering change requiring a statutory process, first of all to undertake pre-statutory consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including schools, local communities and the wider educational network. This report seeks approval to undertake that pre-statutory consultation. BACKGROUND 2. For some time now, officers of the City Council and secondary headteachers have been involved in discussions about various issues affecting the future development of secondary education in the city. The issues discussed with schools have included standards of attainment, surplus places, the small size of some of the city’s secondary schools, and quality of buildings. The engagement of headteachers with these issues and the contributions they have made at these meetings has been significant and greatly appreciated. A consensus is building that there is a compelling case for undertaking a wide ranging review of secondary education in the city, and that the review may involve structural change to provision. Such a review should reflect a clear national agenda for ensuring provision of high achieving secondary schools, with few surplus places, popular with parents and of sufficient size to command long term financial security. 3. A briefing of all members of the City Council has also taken place. There is recognition that the issues facing secondary education will be one of the most important challenges for the Council at this time. 4. The prospect of a city-wide review of secondary education is both a challenge and an immense opportunity. There is a strong national agenda for secondary schools aimed at driving up standards through promoting:- • Increased diversity in the secondary education system as a whole; • Increased specialisation at the level of the individual school; • Rising levels of collaboration within and across, key stages; • Greater autonomy for schools; • Improved “choice” for parents, especially in relation to greater access to popular and successful schools; • Deeper involvement of schools with their communities as “extended schools”; • Modernised buildings and facilities under the aegis of the “Building Schools for the Future” initiative.

2 5. The proposed review offers the community a major opportunity both to respond to these national issues and to re-align the system to address the difficult issues, many of them structural, facing the future delivery of secondary education in the city. These issues are described in the main body of the report. A successful outcome for the proposed review has the potential to bring very significant benefits to the city’s young people for many years into the future. Opportunities for the City’s Secondary Education System 6. Any review of secondary schools in Southampton would take place against a back-drop of almost unprecedented momentum for change in secondary education at national level. The government’s Five Year Strategy has set out an ambitious agenda of promoting greater autonomy for secondary schools, improved collaboration, greater ‘choice’ for parents, increasing specialisation and a higher profile for schools delivering an increasing range of services to the community as extended schools. Every Child Matters 7. The government’s drive to join up Children’s Services emphasises five outcomes for all children and young people:- • To be healthy • To stay safe • To enjoy and achieve • To make a positive contribution • To achieve economic well-being 8. Schools have a central role in improving outcomes in partnership with other agencies, in particular Health, Social Care and the voluntary sector. Their key accountability for raising standards will remain central and their contribution to the wider development of young people will be recognised and strengthened. Building Schools for the Future 9. This key government initiative offers the prospect of the renewal of all secondary school buildings over the next 10 to 15 years. This ambitious programme will ultimately ensure that all young people are educated in buildings fit for purpose in the 21st century. The major investment involved will support a strong local agenda of property improvement, guided by schools’ asset management plans, to make sure that pupils have the very best facilities and accommodation. Extended Schools 10. This national strategy aims to enable schools to offer a range of services to their community. There will be increased opportunities for children and young people to engage in additional activities before and after school, or during school holidays. There will be further opportunities for community learning and schools will be encouraged to explore possibilities for co- locating with school provision public services such as health facilities, libraries or social services drop-in centres.

3 11. Many secondary schools are already exploring opportunities for harnessing any space not needed directly for mainstream education purposes to the needs of the local community. The “Building Schools for the Future” initiative described in paragraph 8 offers the prospect of local schools being able to raise their profile as an extended school. Pupil Attainment 12. This year’s provisional figure for pupils achieving 5 or more GCSE passes (A* to C grade) is 47%. This is an improvement on last year’s figure of 44%. The 2005 rate is the best ever result for the city. Further improvements are confidently expected but this is reliant on ensuring that resources are fully channelled into teaching and learning rather than taken up with maintaining places for which there is no long term need. Specialist Status 13. The majority of Southampton schools have achieved specialist status over the last three years. Remaining schools are either working to achieve this award, or are considering doing so. The city has a strong foundation on which to build. New Technology and Managed Learning Environments 14. The advance of new technology has created new ways of learning personalised to the needs, interests and abilities of individual learners. A managed learning environment creates the possibility for pupils to access learning materials via the internet. Powerful data management techniques enable pupils’ learning to be tracked and for individual programmes of study to be developed. Targeting future investment within available resources on enhancing IT infrastructure is seen as a priority if schools are to take full advantage of the opportunities. Collaboration 15. A number of the city’s secondary schools have developed partnership working with neighbouring schools, including feeder premises or with colleges. In addition, all secondary schools are involved in collaborative activities through the Excellence in Cities programme. These partnerships enable schools to improve curricular access, develop jointly operated courses and share staff expertise more widely. Possibilities for federation between, or among, schools allow more formal arrangements for joint planning, developing shared vision and the more effective use of resources. If schools are to make the most of collaborative working, it is seen as essential that the city’s transport network can adequately support the movement of pupils between schools. School Autonomy 16. Greater school autonomy will continue to be a feature of the education system and is a major focus in the government’s recently published Five Year Strategy. This means that governors and headteachers will take increasing responsibility for decision-making. Future developments could include the establishment of City Academies in Southampton, i.e. state- funded schools independent of the Council, and schools exploring the

4 advantages of Foundation School status. Aspirational Principles Underpinning the Need for Review 17. Southampton’s secondary education system is being presented with a raft of opportunities to meet the aspirations of the city’s young people. They deserve the best possible education. However, structural change may be needed in order to ensure that all schools are of a reasonable size, retain financial viability and are in buildings suitable for purpose. The following principles are put forward as underpinning any review. 18. All schools should • be successful, achieving and sustaining high and rising levels of attainment; • be securing high attendance; • be delivering the ‘Every Child Matters’ desirable outcomes; • be well regarded and popular with parents, so that they have full confidence in their local school; • have values and an ethos in accordance with society’s norms; • play a full role in the community, to include offering extended services to pupils, a range of community learning opportunities and partnership with other public services; • be supported by their local community, in terms of engaging in the school’s governance and participating fully in its life; • have enough places to meet parental demand whilst also ensuring that resources are not squandered in maintaining surplus places; • be large enough to deliver a high quality service with the right range of specialist staff; • have buildings and a site that are fit for the future and that support pupils’ learning and encourage them to aspire to greater achievement; • be accessible to the communities they serve. 19. All children deserve the opportunity to succeed in an environment where they are able to overcome barriers to achievement as a consequence of poverty, gender, ethnicity, religious or cultural background. 20. The preceding sections have described a range of opportunities for Southampton’s secondary schools, and presented a vision for the future development of secondary education in the city. However, the present organisation of secondary education is facing a variety of difficulties that need to be confronted if the opportunities are to be fully grasped. Challenges and Issues for the Future 21. Secondary schools in the city will be facing a variety of challenges over the next few years. Separately from the national agenda motivating change, the following local issues are particularly relevant. Surplus Places 22. Using September 2005 data, the table at Appendix 1 Annexe 1 shows the projected development of future number on roll at all the city’s fourteen

5 secondary schools. In the case of St Anne’s, the figures for number on roll relate to the 11-15 year group only. The capacity figures for Chamberlayne Park, Woodlands, Grove Park Business and Enterprise College and Millbrook are the current total number of available places for these schools. A number of schools will have capacities in 2006-07, based on the Published Admission Number multiplied by 5 (year groups), less than the net capacity based on the physical size of the buildings, The “surplus space” can be considered for use in developing community services. 23. Key points arising from this table are:- • Between September 2005 and 2010-11, total number on roll for the 14 schools declines by over 1500; • By 2010-11 around one in four places currently available will become surplus to requirements; • The number of schools having 25% or more of their places surplus will grow from 3 at September 2005 to 7 at 2010-11; • 3 schools will have 50% or more of their places surplus by 2010- 11 24. Beyond 2010-11, the secondary school 11-16 population is likely to continue to decline. Long term population data provided by County Council at the end of 2004 point to the size of the 11-15 school-age cohort for the city falling from around 11,800 in 2011 to about 11,350 by 2015. Loss of Southampton resident pupils to schools outside the city 25. Whilst some parents of children outside Southampton do choose the City’s schools, most areas of the city ‘lose’ pupils from their catchment areas to schools in neighbouring Hampshire. Migration is a particular issue at secondary level, and especially in the Shirley area of the city. As at January 2005, some 722 Southampton resident pupils were attending Hampshire schools. The loss of pupils of primary age is less significant with (again 2005 data) some 144 and 327 pupils at Key Stages 1 and 2 respectively being educated in schools in the county. 26. The outflow to other Hampshire secondary schools averages about 150 pupils per year group (5FE). As at January 2005, the main receivers of Southampton resident pupils were Mountbatten School and Language College in , , Hedge End , Winchester Kings School and Hamble Community Sports College. Within the 722 pupils lost from the city, the proportion of boys is 52.6%. There are many factors influencing a parental decision to go outside the city for secondary education. 27. The migration out of the city to Hampshire primary and secondary schools is balanced to some degree by Hampshire resident pupils coming in to the city’s schools. Again based on January 2005 data, the relevant figures were 567 primary and 802 secondary-aged pupils. Within the secondary total, the majority were in attendance at one or other of the two Catholic schools (62.7%).

6 Standards 28. The city’s schools present a mixed picture. Overall, Southampton remains below the national average for five or more A*-C GCSE grades (the 2003-04 figure for Southampton is 44% compared with a national figure of 54%). Good and improving performance in some schools is counterbalanced by poor or declining performance in others. However, the city’s schools achieved a 47% pass rate (provisional figure) for 5 or more GCSEs at A* to C in 2005, a significant improvement on the previous year. 29. The first table at Appendix 1 Annexe 2 shows the percentages for five or more A*-C grades for each Southampton City school between 2001 and 2005. The figures for 2005 are provisional only. The school by school percentages will not be finalised until the end of the year and the national figure is not yet available. The raw A*-C percentages listed in the Annexe above present only part of the standards picture. For a more objective assessment of each school’s performance, measures of “value added” also need to be considered. 30. In assessing the absolute and relative standards being achieved in the city’s secondary schools, ‘value added’ measures are very relevant. These take account of the attainment of students before they enter the secondary school, ie performance in the Key Stage 2 national tests, and measure the progress made as they go through secondary by comparing the KS2 achievement with GCSE results. The table at Appendix 1 Annexe 3 shows the value added measures for all 14 secondary schools based on the 2004 results, with 1000 being the national norm. School Size 31. Many of Southampton’s schools are small by national standards. Educationally, a secondary school is required to offer a range of subjects and most schools aim to give pupils a wider offering. This requires specialist teaching and larger schools are able to organise and staff the curriculum more cost effectively than smaller schools. 32. As at September 2005, six of the city’s schools were less than 5FE in overall size (less than 750 pupils on roll). By 2010-2011, forecasts indicate seven schools in this category. For as a whole, comprehensive schools of size in the range 901-1000 pupils are the most numerous. 33. Conventionally, school admissions are referred to by “forms of entry” (FE) which are groups of 30 pupils. Many schools do not group pupils in classes of 30. The use of the term “form of entry” is simply to aid understanding of the size of year group. Buildings and Sites 34. Many of Southampton’s secondary schools are in buildings showing significant deficiencies on the condition and suitability Asset Management Plan categories. Eight schools out of the fourteen occupy a site that is less than the recommended DfES guideline area for the number of pupils on roll. Several of the city’s most successful schools, based on GCSE attainment, fall into this category. Paradoxically, schools with the greatest decline in number on roll occupy generous sites. The last two years have seen three

7 schools (Cantell, Redbridge and Woodlands) completely rebuilt under the Private Finance Initiative Project. 35. Some schools have nil or very small playing field areas. Only four secondary schools have playing fields that meet or exceed the area guideline in the relevant DfES Building Bulletin. Seven have less than the recommended area. Five schools have less than 10% of the playing field area recommended for their current number on roll. 36. All of these issues will need to be addressed as the city prepares for ‘Building Schools for the Future’. The city needs to have a clear strategic plan for the future provision of secondary education, taking account of parental preferences and community views, if it is to attract significant capital investment under this programme. 37. The location of schools is also important. Schools need to be accessible to parents, and travel to them needs to be supported by a local transport network that enhances, rather than impedes, the exercise of their preference for a city secondary school. Finance 38. Larger secondary schools are, on average, more viable in financial terms than smaller ones, due to the fact that budgets are primarily pupil number driven. As school size declines, so also does the budget and real issues of financial viability can arise. Consequences affecting the education on offer include difficulties in recruiting sufficient well-qualified and experienced staff. Single Sex/Mixed Schools 39. Southampton has a high proportion of single sex schools (six out of fourteen, two being denominational) compared with the neighbouring county. However, of these six schools, two are voluntary aided and, unlike the other twelve, draw their intake from a wider area than just the city. The boys’ schools are considerably smaller than the girls’. There is therefore a gender imbalance in nearly all the mixed schools as a result. 40. The second table at Appendix 1 Annexe 2 shows the effect the single sex schools have on the mixed schools (September 2005 data). The ‘gender imbalance’ ranges from , where approximately two out of every three pupils are boys, to Millbrook where there is parity. Across the city, the percentage of boys and girls respectively in secondary schools is 47.6% and 52.4%. More boys leave the city than girls. Denominational Education 41. Southampton has two voluntary aided Catholic single sex schools. St George School for Boys is relatively small (with numbers forecast to dip to just over 400 on roll by 2010-11). St Anne’s Catholic School (for girls) is the only Southampton school with a sixth form and draws widely from both within and outside the city. It is approximately twice the size of St George. 42. The imbalance as between the sizes of these two schools mirrors the imbalance in the single sex community schools in the city. However, St George is on a good site (although located just outside the city boundary) whereas St Anne’s occupies a very constrained city centre location with no

8 playing fields. As with the east and west side community schools, the proportion of surplus space at the two Catholic secondaries is projected to rise to over one in four places by 2010-11. CONSULTATION 43. A number of informal meetings have been held with headteachers of secondary schools in the city concerning the need for the review. The most recent of these occurred on 13 October 2005 at Headteachers Forum. A summary of the main points made at that meeting is attached at Appendix 2. A further briefing meeting is in process of being arranged for mid-November. 44. In addition, the Secondary Education Review has been briefly raised at the evening for Chairs of Governors held on 18 October 2005. A further briefing for Governors will be arranged in November. 45. A number of written responses have also been received to the preliminary consultation. These are also included in the summary attached at Appendix 2. An update on all responses received to the preliminary consultation will be given at the report’s consultation stage. ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED 46. The alternatives considered have included the following:- • Not to put forward a recommendation to undertake pre-statutory consultation; • To aim to reduce surplus place by allocating surplus accommodation in schools to other purposes, e.g. community use. 47. The first of these has not been recommended because this course of action would perpetuate and increase the substantial proportion of surplus places in community secondary schools across the city. This would be wasteful of financial resources and would not ensure schools’ longer term educational viability. The second approach described above, whilst attractive on the surface, would not address the issue of small school size, deficiencies of buildings and sites and financial viability of schools as described in the earlier part of the report. For these reasons both the alternative options mentioned above have been considered and rejected. DETAIL 48. This report is recommending that pre-statutory consultation be undertaken on proposals aimed at reducing surplus places in secondary schools across the city and improving future organisation to ensure educational and financial viability. The challenge for the review is to realign the city’s secondary education system so that it is best placed to move forward to meeting community aspirations for popular, successful schools delivering high standards of achievement. 49. Any reorganisation of Southampton secondary schools should be based on a whole city approach, and should aim to fulfil the following objectives:- • Surplus places reduced to a level in line with forecast demand plus 10%, within three years; • All schools of a viable size, i.e. at least 5FE;

9 • The single-sex/mixed school gender imbalance rectified; • All schools to have long-term financial viability; • School sites and buildings have a proper, long-term plan in preparation for “Building Schools for the Future”. • The net loss of Southampton pupils to neighbouring Hampshire is addressed. 50. The government recently published its new White Paper “Schools – Achieving Success”. The White Paper sets out proposals for further innovation and reform in the secondary school sector aiming to increase diversity in the system, autonomy to popular and successful schools and achieve higher standards for all. One of the outcomes could be a greater measure of self- governance for many secondary schools. 51. The City Council’s proposals for change in secondary education provision will clearly need to take into account the new legislation to support the government’s reform agenda, when it emerges. However, the issues set out in paragraphs 21 to 44 will continue to be significant ones for the future development of secondary education in the city (e.g. surplus places and the loss of Southampton pupils to Hampshire schools). Timescale for the Review 52. Undertaking a review of secondary education in the city will be a major project requiring many months work. The normal practice for the Council is to undertake ‘pre-statutory consultation’ with a wide range of stakeholders and interests before reporting to the City Council with recommendations for change. 53. Following the report on the pre-statutory consultation, any approved recommendations for change would require the publication of statutory proposals followed by a statutory consultation period of six weeks. Should objections be made to the proposals within this period, they would need to go for decision to the Southampton School Organisation Committee, which is a body independent of the City Council. 54. The following table sets out a provisional timetable for the review.

Jun-Oct 2005 Preliminary consultation with headteachers Oct 2005 Preliminary consultation meetings with governors and other stakeholders Oct-Nov 2005 Collation of responses to the preliminary consultation 5th Dec 2005 Report to Cabinet on the outcome of the preliminary consultation and decision on whether pre-statutory consultation should be undertaken Dec 2005 Draft pre-statutory consultation document circulated to schools and other selected stakeholders for comment Jan-Mar 2006 Pre-statutory consultation Mar-May 2006 Collation of responses to the pre-statutory consultation

10 Jun 2006 Report to Executive Decision-making on the pre-statutory consultation Jun-Jul 2006 Statutory consultation period Sept 2006 Southampton School Organisation Committee decision Sept 2007 Start of implementation of approved organisational changes

Review of Catholic Provision in the City 55. The above scheme is the minimum timescale in which consultation, reporting and decision-making can be made. It may, therefore, be feasible for the organisational changes, e.g. amalgamations or closures of schools, to be formally implemented by September 2007. However, any major building works required to facilitate reorganisation would be likely to finish later. Timetable for review of Catholic Secondary provision in the city 56. A review of the two Catholic schools in the city would need to be led by the Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth and the Trustees of the two schools, supported by the City Council. It would be hoped that the Catholic Review would proceed on an approximately equivalent timescale to the review of the twelve Community schools. This would mean preliminary consultation during the current term, followed by more formal consultation in the spring term 2006. 57. It is recommended that the City Council write formally to the governors of the two Catholic secondary schools, and to the Portsmouth Catholic Diocese, requesting that they undertake a review of Catholic secondary education provision in the city in parallel with the City Council’s review of community provision. Formal discussions with the governors and Diocese should be initiated as soon as possible, with the City Council supporting the Catholic review process at all stages. FINANCIAL/RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS Capital 58. Feasibility studies will be carried out during the course of the pre-statutory consultation and the capital cost of the proposals to be included in statutory proposals will be detailed in the report on the outcome of the consultation. Revenue 59. The cost of undertaking the pre-statutory consultation will be contained within the portfolio revenue budget. Revenue changes arising out of specific proposals for change will be detailed in the report to the Cabinet Member following the outcome of the pre-statutory consultation. Property 60. The proposals in this report have been included in the 2005 Asset Management Plan. There is an evolving strategy for the delivery of public services to the community and any proposals flowing from this review will need to be considered alongside that strategy. Should any school sites close

11 as a result of the secondary review they will, in accordance with corporate policy, first be considered for meeting outstanding City Council or community accommodation needs. Following that consideration, they will be considered for disposal. Other 61. None. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS Statutory power to undertake proposals in the report: 62. The power to make organisational changes to schools, including changes to the location of school sites, is set out in the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 and supporting secondary legislation. Pre-statutory consultation must be undertaken in accordance with Statutory Guidance issued under the Act contained within Circular reference DfES/0395/2003 as amended. Whilst the content and form of consultation is not prescribed, there are a number of general principles to be observed to which the proposals contained within this report conform. If it is decided to proceed with proposals for change following consultation, a further period of statutory consultation will be required, following which a final decision will be made by the City Council or School Organisation Committee as appropriate. Other Legal Implications: 63. In undertaking the proposals set out in this report the Council has had regard to Equality legislation (particularly in relation to access to consultation processes and in relation to the effects of these proposals on the community), Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998. POLICY FRAMEWORK IMPLICATIONS 64. The proposals in this report are consistent with the following education components of the Policy Framework:- • Education Development Plan: The planning and organisation of school places take place against a backdrop of securing the most appropriate use of resources for education in order to secure high standards of achievement and quality of provision; • Adult Learning Plan: The changes made to school places provision under the review may lead to improved opportunities to promote community facilities in schools as part of extending schools’ involvement with their communities. • Community Strategy: The reorganisation of secondary education provision will enable opportunities for extending community use of schools to be explored. If a school site closed, it could be considered for community use.

12

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION Appendices 1. Tables of forecasts, attainments and gender balance, school by school. 2. Notes of preliminary consultation responses. Documents In Members’ Rooms 1. The Future Shape of Secondary Education in Southampton Background Documents Title of Background Paper(s) Relevant Paragraph of the Access to Information Procedure Rules / Schedule 12A allowing document to be Exempt/Confidential (if applicable) 1. The Future Shape of Secondary Education in Southampton 2. th Background documents available for inspection at: 4 Floor, Frobisher House

REPORT OF: SECONDARY EDUCATION REVIEW - PRE-STATUTORY CONSULTATION

AUTHOR: Name: HUGH PATIENCE Tel: 023 80 833054 E-mail: [email protected]

File Name: V5 Secondary Education Review Pre-Statutory Consultation

13