Agenda No 5 AGENDA MANAGEMENT SHEET Name of Committee Cabinet Date of Committee 11 March 2010 Report Title Changes to Secondary School Priority Areas in Nuneaton and Hartshill Summary This paper seeks to inform Members of the response to the consultation with stakeholders and approval to the proposed changes to secondary school priority areas in Nuneaton and Hartshill. For further information Mark Gore please contact: Head of Service – Transforming Education Tel: 01926 742588 [email protected] Would the recommended No decision be contrary to the Budget and Policy Framework? [please identify relevant plan/budget provision] Background papers School Organisation Framework Document 2005/10 Cabinet papers 06.11.08; 27.11.08; 09.07.09 Report to Portfolio Holder Decision Making, CYPF 04.12.2009 Consultation document and responses Report to Nuneaton Bedworth Area Committee 10.3.10 CONSULTATION ALREADY UNDERTAKEN: Details to be specified Other Committees X Nuneaton & Bedworth Area Committee 10.03.10 Local Member(s) X All councillors in the Nuneaton and Bedworth area plus Cllr Colin Hayfield (Arley) and Cllr Carol Fox (Hartshill) Cllr Tandy “I can’t comment as I have to declare a prejudicial interest as a Governor at The George Eliot School” Secondary school priority areas Nuneaton&Hartshill.doc 1 of 7 Other Elected Members X CYP&F O&S Chair and Vice-Chair for information: Cllr John Ross Cllr Carolyn Robbins CYP&F O&S Spokespersons for information: Cllr Jerry Roodhouse (on behalf of Cllr Balaam) Cllr Tim Naylor Cllr Carolyn Robbins Cabinet Member X Cllr Izzi Seccombe Other Cabinet Members consulted Chief Executive ……………………………………………………….. Legal X Fay Ford “comments incorporated into the report” Finance X David Clarke, Strategic Director of Resources “no comments” Other Strategic Directors ……………………………………………………….. District Councils X The Chief Executive of Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council and the Borough Councillors have all received copies of the consultation document. Health Authority ……………………………………………………….. Police ……………………………………………………….. Other Bodies/Individuals X All stakeholders. FINAL DECISION YES SUGGESTED NEXT STEPS: Details to be specified Further consideration by ……………………………………………………….. this Committee To Council ……………………………………………………….. To Cabinet ……………………………………………………….. To an O & S Committee ……………………………………………………….. To an Area Committee ……………………………………………………….. Further Consultation ……………………………………………………….. Secondary school priority areas Nuneaton&Hartshill.doc 2 of 7 Agenda No 5 Cabinet – 11 March 2010 Changes to Secondary School Priority Areas in Nuneaton and Hartshill Report of the Strategic Director for Children, Young People and Families Recommendations (1) That Cabinet considers the response to the consultation with stakeholders, and (2) That Cabinet approves the proposed changes to secondary school priority areas in Nuneaton and Hartshill with effect from September 2011 admissions and subject to the outcome of statutory notices confirming the closure of Manor Park School and Alderman Smith School and the Secretary of State’s approval of an Academy on the Alderman Smith site. 1. Purpose 1.1 At the meeting on 4 December 2009, the Portfolio Holder for Children, Young People and Families agreed to formal consultation on the proposal to make a change to secondary school priority areas in Nuneaton and Hartshill. 1.2 Formal consultations with stakeholders were conducted from 4 January to 1 March 2010. 1.3 This report includes information about the responses to the consultation and seeks approval of the proposals with effect from September 2011 admissions. The view of the Area Committee will be made known to Cabinet and other admission authorities making proposals when they meet to consider these matters. 2. Introduction 2.1 The County Council is currently working with North Warwickshire and Hinckley College on a proposal to open an Academy in Nuneaton. The Academy proposal is linked to the closure of both Manor Park and Alderman Smith Schools and the proposal to build the Academy on the Alderman Smith site. Cabinet agreed on 26 November 2009 to the closure of Alderman Smith School and Manor Park School with effect from 31 August 2010 subject to Statutory Notices and conditional on the Secretary of State giving approval to the opening of the new Academy with effect from 1 September 2010. Secondary school priority areas Nuneaton&Hartshill.doc 3 of 7 2.2 A school priority area is a geographical area defined on rational grounds by the school’s admission authority. Where a school is oversubscribed, the admission policy will ensure that children living in the priority area are given places before other applicants with the exception of children in care. There is no guarantee that all pupils living within a school’s priority area will be admitted, but parents will have a strong expectation that places will generally be available at their priority school. 3. The Proposal 3.1 It is proposed to make changes to the priority areas for Higham Lane School and Etone School. In addition the Governing Bodies of Hartshill School and The George Eliot School, who are their own admission authority, have agreed to consider making parallel changes to their priority areas. Both Hartshill School and The George Eliot School asked the County Council to include their proposals in the Authority’s consultation. Permission was also secured to include information on the planned priority area for the Academy. 3.2 One of the major drivers for the review of priority areas is to ensure that the numbers of children within each area match up with the capacities of the priority schools. With the planned closures of Alderman Smith and Manor Park and a creation of a new Academy on the Alderman Smith site there would be one fewer school and insufficient space for all of the children who live in the priority areas of Manor Park and Alderman Smith to attend the Academy. It is therefore necessary to review the current priority areas. Details of the proposals, with maps of each area, is set out in the consultation documents attached as Appendix A to this report. 3.3 Given the reasons behind the proposal they would be need to be subject to the outcome of statutory notices confirming the closure of Manor Park School and Alderman Smith School and the Secretary of State’s approval of an Academy on the Alderman Smith site 3.4 One of the issues arising from the implementation of the proposals is whether or not to facilitate the transition to the new priority areas by extending any current sibling priority entitlements to families remaining resident in their current homes to younger siblings. While such ‘transitional arrangements’ helps avoid families having to send children to more than one school, they have the potential disadvantage of watering down the impact of any priority area changes. 4. Consultation 4.1 Informal discussions took place with all of the secondary schools in Nuneaton and Hartshill on possible options for change in the Autumn of 2009. 4.2 Formal consultations took place throughout January and February 2010. Consultation documents were distributed to the local MPs, the Diocesan Authorities, the Borough Council, all schools in the area, all Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough and County Councillors, the Learning and Skills Council, Trade Unions and Professional Associations and Neighbouring Local Secondary school priority areas Nuneaton&Hartshill.doc 4 of 7 Authorities. In addition, letters notifying people of the consultation and giving details of how to access the consultation document were distributed via the schools to the parents and carers of all children in Nuneaton and Hartshill schools. 4.3 A public notice was published in the local newspapers on 7 January 2010 and the consultation documents have been available to download from the Warwickshire website from the beginning of the year. Copies of the consultation documents have been available for collection from local schools and libraries throughout Nuneaton and Bedworth and North Warwickshire. 4.4 A total of 14 responses to the consultation had been received at the time of drafting this report. A summary of the responses with comments is set out below. Copies of all responses have been placed in the Members’ Group Rooms. Proposals for the Etone and George Eliot priority areas 4.5 12 responses have been received from Whitestone residents. They are concerned that although they currently have children at Etone School, if the proposal goes through, they will no longer be in the priority area for the school when it is time for their younger children to move to secondary school. Comment The over-subscription criteria for admission to community secondary schools is as shown below. These criteria do allow for some priority to be given to children from outside the school’s priority area with a sibling link. 1. The children in the care of, or provided with accommodation by, a Local Authority. 2. Children living in the priority area who have a brother or sister at the school at the time of admission. 3. Other pupils living in the priority area. 4. Children living outside the priority area who will have a brother or sister at the school at the time of admission. 5. Other children living outside the priority area. 4.6 A number of Whitestone residents have expressed concern about the quality of provision offered by the George Eliot School. Comment Members will be aware that George Eliot Community School was one of the schools to fall within The National Challenge. The Local Authority worked closely