Item No B2 By: Director - Operations To: School Organisation Advisory Board – 19 April 2006 Subject: PROPOSALS FOR THE REDUCTION OF SURPLUS CAPACITY IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN SEVENOAKS DISTRICT Classification: Unrestricted _______________________________________________________________________ Summary: This report outlines the proposals for reducing surplus primary places in the Sevenoaks District to bring them in line with DfES and Audit Commission requirements regarding surplus capacity. They have been developed with reference to the Primary Strategy 2006. ______________________________________________________________________________ Background 1. (1) Birth rates in England and Wales have been falling steadily since the early 1990s and Kent County Council, along with other local authorities, has become increasingly aware of the effect this has had on primary school rolls. The increasing number of surplus school places is already having major implications for funding and consequently the viability of some schools. (2) As well as having implications for the funding of individual schools, the Audit Commission has calculated that each surplus primary school place costs approximately £300 per annum to maintain (ie overheads that are not saved even when the space is ‘mothballed’). With in excess of 12,000 surplus primary school places currently, this is £3m of education money annually currently not being spent on teaching and learning. (3) In 2004 the County Council decided that it would take steps to deal not only with the problems, but also with the opportunities that this reduction presented. (4) Following over a year’s work by headteachers and officers, a Strategy document containing 50 recommendations was presented to Cabinet on 6 February 2006, which was adopted. ed&libreports/2006/190406a B2:1 (5) As part of the Strategy, Recommendation 27 states that “wherever surplus primary capacity is projected to rise above 7% in any cluster area, proposals should be brought forward to reduce it to 5%”. This is in line with Audit Commission and DfES guidance. The retention of a 5% surplus in any area (rather than zero) is considered to be ‘good practice’ to assist parental preferences being met, and to build in a contingency to deal with any unforeseen short-term increase in pupil numbers (for example a regiment moving). The DfES require all authorities to report annually on all schools with an excess of 25% surplus capacity, giving justifications why such schools are not being closed or having their net capacity reduced. (6) Consequently, eleven of the twelve Districts in Kent currently have surplus primary capacity in excess of 7% and this is projected to increase at least over the next five years, officers were asked to bring forward proposals to reduce capacity in each District. (7) Proposals were requested on a District (rather than a Cluster) basis. In bringing forward proposals, officers were asked to consult with all headteachers and chairmen of governors on their appropriateness, to take into full consideration other recommendations in the Primary Strategy, and to have regard to DfES guidelines, for example in relation to rural schools and to those schools with in excess of 25% surplus capacity. Capacity in Sevenoaks District 2. (1) In the Sevenoaks district area there are 40 primary schools with a combined net capacity of 7979. There are currently 7246 pupils attending these schools giving a surplus capacity of 9.22 %. Surplus places are particularly concentrated in the Swanley and District Cluster whose 12 primary schools currently have a combined surplus of 12.49%. If no action is taken, by 2010 it is estimated that the surplus will have risen to 13.23% (with a surplus in the Swanley and District Cluster of 27.25%). (2) It should be noted that there are four schools located in the Sevenoaks District area which are part of the Dartford East cluster. These are Hartley Primary School, New Ash Green Primary School, Fawkham CEP School and Our Lady of Hartley Catholic Primary School. For the purposes of the Primary Strategy the above figures do not take account of these schools and they are included in the data for Dartford district. ed&libreports/2006/190406a B2:2 Swanley and District Cluster SCHOOL PAN NET 2006 SURPLUS % CAPACITY ROLL /DEFICIT SUR/DEF Crockenhill Primary School 30 210 207 3 1.43 Hextable Junior School 75 289 296 -7 -2.42 Hextable Infant School 60 180 179 1 0.55 High Firs Primary School 30 210 204 6 2.86 Birchwood Primary School 27 138 117 21 15.22 White Oak Primary School 30 210 138 72 34.29 St Paul’s CEP (VC) School 15 105 94 11 10.48 West Kingsdown CE (VC) 45 315 275 40 12.70 Primary School St Mary’s CEP (VA) School 30 210 183 27 12.86 Downsview Primary School 30 297 172 125 42.09 St Bartholomew’s Catholic 50 347 326 21 6.05 (VA) Primary School Horton Kirby CEP (F) 45 315 282 33 10.48 School TOTAL 2826 2473 353 12.49 ed&libreports/2006/190406a B2:3 Sevenoaks South Cluster SCHOOL PAN NET 2006 SURPLUS % CAPACITY ROLL /DEFICIT SURPLUS /DEFICIT The Anthony Roper Primary 45 315 312 3 0.95 School Dunton Green Primary 30 207 164 43 20.77 School Halstead Community 24 111 80 31 27.93 Primary School Four Elms Primary School 16 112 106 6 5.36 Kemsing Primary School 30 210 193 17 8.10 Leigh Primary School 20 140 122 18 12.86 Otford Primary School 43 277 232 45 16.25 Amherst Junior School 90 360 361 -1 -0.28 Weald Community Primary 25 158 146 12 7.59 School Shoreham Village School 15 86 88 -2 -2.33 Riverhead Infant School 90 270 270 0 0 Sevenoaks Primary School 60 420 400 20 4.76 Edenbridge Primary School 60 420 344 76 18.10 Chiddingstone CEP (VA) 17 119 139 -20 -16.81 School Seal CEP (VC) School 30 109 97 12 11.01 St John’s CEP (VC) School, 15 105 64 41 39.05 Sevenoaks Sundridge & Brasted CEP 15 75 72 3 4 (VC) School Crockham Hill CEP (VC) 20 140 139 1 0.71 School Churchill CEP (VC) School 40 280 253 27 9.64 Seal St Lawrence CEP (VC) 12 72 53 19 26.39 School St Katharine’s Knockholt 17 119 122 -3 -2.52 CEP (VA) School Chevening, St Boltoph’s 30 210 210 0 0 CEP (VA) School Hever CEP (VA)School 15 105 84 21 20 Fordcombe CEP (VA) 15 105 104 1 0.95 School Penhurst CEP (VA) School 15 105 101 4 3.81 Lady Boswell’s CEP (VA) 30 209 206 3 1.44 School Ide Hill CEP (VA) School 15 104 82 22 21.15 St Thomas’ Catholic (VA) 30 210 229 -19 -9.05 Primary School TOTAL 5153 4773 380 7.37 ed&libreports/2006/190406a B2:4 District Total Total Net 2006 Roll 2010 Forecast 2010 Forecast Capacity surplus (if no action taken) 7979 7246 6923 13.23% Proposals 3. In order to reduce surplus capacity within the District, three major proposals requiring statutory proposals are required. They are: (a) Amalgamate Birchwood and White Oak Primary Schools, Swanley (b) Amalgamate Hextable infant and Junior Schools (c) Close Seal School, St Lawrence CE Primary School. Swanley and District Cluster Birchwood/White Oak Community Primary Schools, Swanley – Amalgamation Attached as Appendix 1 is a map showing the location of the two schools and Appendix 2 shows the current pupil distribution. Background 3.1 (1) Birchwood Community Primary School has a net capacity of 138 and currently has a PLASC 2006 roll of 117 (15.22% surplus capacity). This represents an increase of 12 pupils above the PLASC 2005 base forecast roll of 49 pupils for 2010. (2) The vast majority of children live within a one mile radius of the school, and all live within two miles. The school serves a community with a high degree of disadvantage and the number of children eligible for Free School Meals, at 32%, is more than double the Kent average and well above the national average. The percentage of pupils with special educational needs, at 31.6%, also significantly exceeds Kent and national averages. School Effectiveness (3) Standards at the school are improving. Overall attainment remains below Kent and national averages but value added scores exceed them, demonstrating pupil progress. ed&libreports/2006/190406a B2:5 Equality Impact (4) The numbers of pupils at the school from black and minority ethnic groups is low at 7.8%. This is largely made up of pupils who are from the travelling community. Assessment: Low (5) White Oak Community Primary School has a net capacity of 210 and currently has a PLASC 2006 roll of 138 (34.29% surplus capacity). This represents a loss of 3 pupils below the PLASC 2005 base forecast roll of 104 pupils for 2010. (6) White Oak shares a notional catchment area with Birchwood and the vast majority of pupils live within a mile of the school. Also, like Birchwood, the school serves a community with a high degree of disadvantage and the percentage of pupils eligible for Free School Meals, at 34%, is more than double the Kent, and far in excess of the national average. The percentage of pupils with special educational needs is in excess of 50%, thereby significantly exceeding Kent and national averages. School Effectiveness (7) While most floor targets in foundation subjects are met, or exceeded even, attainment remains below averages. Value added scores, however, are good, especially in English and Science. Equality Impact (8) Similarly to Birchwood, numbers of pupils from black and minority ethnic groups is low at 7.1%. Assessment: Low The Rationale for Amalgamation (9) Both schools have significant surplus capacity and rolls that have declined and are declining.