North Street, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire LE65 1HX Tel: 01530 412756 Fax: 01530 412146 Email: [email protected] www.ivanhoe.co.uk Head Teacher: Alison Allford, Deputy Head Teacher: Greg Bellmore Assistant Heads: David Berrow, Sarah Lane, Emma Cresswell Business Manager: Tracy Winfield Company Registration No: 8100518 Co nd Monday 2 November 2020 Dear Parent/Carer I am writing to you to consult on important proposals that Ivanhoe College, Ibstock Community College and Ashby School work together to join LiFE Multi Academy Trust and bring age range change to the secondary schools in Ashby de la Zouch and Ibstock from August 2022. Our priority is always to ensure an excellent education for all our students with a commitment to continuously improving standards to ensure they flourish in an exciting and engaging environment that includes the provision of a broad curriculum. As local partner schools, we have a longstanding commitment to working with each other which will assist in managing these changes effectively and ensure the high standards in all schools continue for the benefit of all young people in our community now and in the future. Ivanhoe College, Ibstock Community College and Ashby School are all currently Single Academy Trusts, and in the last couple of years we have given much consideration to joining a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT). In line with most other schools locally and nationally, we want to bring excellent 11-16 education to all three schools and continue the high quality shared post 16 education based at Ashby School. As a Governing Board we have carefully considered the options to maximise the future success of the schools whilst retaining our ethos and commitment to improve. We are working closely together in this process with Ibstock Community College and Ashby School and the governors of all three schools have the shared aim of joining LiFE Multi Academy Trust by February or March 2021 subject to due diligence. In making this decision we have taken into consideration the following: - Our commitment to ensure excellent outcomes for our students, while retaining the principle of parental choice Our determination to bring about age range change which allows each school to educate students from 11-16 Our shared commitment to retaining a high-quality post 16 educational offer with a sixth form at Ashby School Our desire to provide new and better professional development opportunities for staff Safeguarding each school’s long-term financial future Ensuring strong governance The benefits that being part of a larger organisation can bring to our schools. The LiFE MAT is currently made up of the lead school, Bosworth Academy, together with two other secondary schools and two primary schools. Bosworth Academy is an outstanding 11-18 college with an excellent track record both for its own school and the positive impact it has had on its work with other schools in the MAT. Under the leadership of the CEO, Chris Parkinson, LiFE MAT has already had a positive impact in developing collaboration and sharing best practice across the group of schools. This is an exciting opportunity for our school leaders to work with the Leadership Team at LiFE to continue to build on the good work that has already been done within each school. Bosworth Academy successfully underwent its own age change to become an 11-18 school in recent years and we will be able to learn from their experience of age range change. We are also ready to begin the process of bringing about age range change for August 2022 so that all three schools become secondary schools. From this time Ivanhoe College and Ibstock Community College will begin to offer education to students between the ages of 11 and 16. Ashby School will also take in students from age 11 through to age 16, and our joint plans will also ensure that all students have equal access to excellent Post 16 education in the Sixth Form at Ashby School. As a strong group of schools in our area, we are confident that together we will continue to improve opportunities and outcomes for all students as part of a successful MAT. We have much in common with the schools already in the LiFE MAT and their experience of ongoing school improvement and successful age range change. We believe this is a unique and exciting opportunity for our school and one that we wish to take forward now. We are therefore now consulting parents, staff and the wider community on our plans to join LiFE MAT, instigate age range change and consequent change to our school admissions arrangements. The formal consultation process begins on Monday 2nd November 2020 and will run until Monday 14th December 2020. Please also see the consultation FAQs and additional information below about the options from August 2022, which we hope will answer any questions you may have. We are also including the draft of our Admissions Policy for Year 7 intake August 2022 showing the new planned admission number. Responses can be submitted in writing to 'Consultation' c/o Headteacher’s PA at Ivanhoe College, or by email to [email protected] . To help us in collating responses, please indicate whether you are a parent and the year group(s) of your child(ren). All views will be considered by the Governing Board before final decisions are made as we want this to be a full and meaningful consultation. I look forward to hearing your views. Yours faithfully Graham McKay Chair of Governors AGE RANGE CHANGE – WHAT IT MEANS FOR PUPILS AND PARENTS Carrying out age range change does involve a transition period for all schools as they start to admit extra year groups. This process is controlled by a common admissions policy to ensure numbers are balanced across schools; however, we appreciate as parents you will want to know how this affects your child and what options you have. The tables below show how it will affect the different year groups. Current Aug Aug Aug 2023 Aug 2024 Aug Aug Year 2021 2022 2025 2026 Group Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 You will be in you will opt for You will remain You will remain You will You will your Primary Ivanhoe, in your chosen in your chosen remain in your remain in your School Ibstock or school school chosen school chosen school Ashby School Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Year 12 At Ivanhoe or At Ivanhoe or At Ivanhoe or Remain at Remain at At Ashby Ibstock Ibstock Ibstock Ivanhoe/Ibstock chosen Year School or move to 10 School Ashby School Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Year 12 Year 13 At Ivanhoe or At Ivanhoe or Remain at Remain at At Ashby At Ashby Ibstock Ibstock Ivanhoe/Ibstock chosen Year 10 School School or move to School Ashby School Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Year 12 Year 13 At Ivanhoe or Remain at Remain at At Ashby At Ashby Ibstock Ivanhoe/Ibstock chosen Year 10 School School or move to School Ashby School Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Year 12 Year 13 At Ashby At Ashby At Ashby School At Ashby School School School Current and future admission numbers for each school: Our proposals are supported by the Local Authority and the Regional Schools Commissioner and the aim is for there to be similar overall numbers as at present in each of the three schools following age range change. Year 7 typical Y7 admission admission number from numbers August 2022 Ibstock Community College 200 140 Ivanhoe College 325 180 Ashby School N/A 210 Total 525 530 .