AGENDA ITEM 10
BOROUGH OF POOLE
CABINET
17 JULY 2007
PROPOSAL TO CONSULT ON COMBINING TURLIN MOOR COMMUNITY FIRST SCHOOL AND TURLIN MOOR COMMUNITY MIDDLE SCHOOL: REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO HOLDER FOR CHILDREN’S SOCIAL SERVICES, EDUCATION AND YOUTH SERVICES
1. PURPOSE
1.1 To consider the recommendation of the Children’s Services Overview Group arising from the outcome of formal consultation on the proposals to combine Turlin Moor Community First and Middle Schools with effect from September 2008.
2. DECISION REQUIRED
2.1 That Cabinet be requested to approve an outline budget of £1.3 million funded from the Education Capital Programme to accommodate the new combined school in the existing Middle School building from September 2008.
3. BACKGROUND/INFORMATION
3.1 The Children’s Services Overview Group, at its Meeting on 26 June 2007, noted that:-
(a) Public Notices were published on 19th April 2007 on the closure of Turlin Moor Community First School and Turlin Moor Community Middle School and the opening of a new combined school with effect from September 2008;
b) no representations (either objecting or supporting) were received on any of the published proposals during the representation period which ended on 31st May 2007; and
c) the proposals had been passed to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator for decision within six weeks.
3.2 A copy of the Report considered by the Children’s Services Overview Group is appended for Members’ information.
3.3 Following the Overview Group Meeting, I detail below further financial information explaining how the funding can be met by drawing on resources from the following priority areas:
Statutory Priorities £100,000
School Meals £ 45,000
School Access Initiative £100,000
S106 Developer Contributions £205,000
Primary Capital Programme £650,000
Devolved Formula Capital £200,000
The Shadow Governing Body had agreed that the new Combined School will commit its allocation of Devolved Formula Capital grant for a five year period.
I would therefore ask Cabinet to support the above recommendation which was supported unanimously by the Children’s Services Overview Group.
Councillor Tony Woodcock
Children’s Social Services, Education and Youth Services Portfolio Holder
CABINET FOR INFORMATION 17/7/07
BOROUGH OF POOLE
CHILDREN’S SERVICES OVERVIEW GROUP
26 JUNE 2007
REPORT OF HEAD OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S SERVICES – STRATEGY, QUALITY AND IMPROVEMENT
SCHOOL ORGANISATION: PROPOSAL TO CONSULT ON COMBINING TURLIN MOOR COMMUNITY FIRST SCHOOL AND TURLIN MOOR COMMUNITY MIDDLE SCHOOL
1. PURPOSE
1.1 a) To update the Children’s Services Overview Group on the outcome of formal consultation on the proposals to combine Turlin Moor Community First School and Turlin Moor Community Middle School with effect from September 2008;
b) To recommend to Cabinet that approval be given for an outline budget of £1.3m, funded from the Education Capital Programme, to accommodate the new combined school in the existing Middle School building from September 2008.
2. DECISIONS REQUIRED
2.1 That Children’s Services Overview Group:
a) note that Public Notices were published on 19th April 2007 on the closure of Turlin Moor Community First School and Turlin Moor Community Middle School and the opening of a new combined school with effect from September 2008;
b) note that no representations (either objecting or supporting) were received on any of the published proposals during the representation period which ended on 31st May 2007;
c) note that the proposals have been passed to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator for decision within six weeks;
d) recommend to Cabinet that an outline budget of £1.3m, funded from the Education Capital Programme, be approved to accommodate the new combined school in the existing Middle School building from September 2008.
3. BACKGROUND
3.1 The Governing Bodies of Turlin Moor Community First School and Turlin Moor Community Middle School have asked the Local Authority to bring forward proposals to combine the two schools with effect from September 2008.
3.2 Allthough both schools have a very good reputation in the community and achieve good standards, they have historically and recently not been fully subscribed from within the catchment area.
3.3 School pupil forecasts were reported to Children’s Services Overview Group in November 2006. Those forecasts showed that since 1999 the actual number of Primary pupils on roll in the Borough has been steadily declining year on year. In January 2006 there were 1,317 fewer pupils on roll (a total of 10,678 pupils) than there were in January 1999 (11,995 pupils). The decline in Primary pupil numbers is likely to continue to 2008. Between 2008 and 2010 pupil numbers should level out as Reception classes begin to increase in size, due to an increase in the number of births from 2002 onwards. As these cohorts begin to move through the schools, pupil numbers are likely to increase again from 2010. However, even with the children generated by the new housing in Hamworthy and the Town Centre, it is forecast that the total number of Primary age children in 2011 will remain below 2004 levels.
3.4 The decrease in pupil numbers has impacted on the Turlin Moor schools and action has been taken over recent years as part of the Council’s plan to reduce the number of surplus places in Primary phase schools. In September 2004 the Published Admission Number (PAN) of Turlin Moor Community First School and Turlin Moor Community Middle School both reduced from 90 to 60. In September 2006 the PAN for the First school reduced again from 60 to 45. The latest school pupils forecasts show that numbers on roll in the First school will remain below the admission number and in the Middle school numbers will reflect the reduction in numbers in the First school.
3.5 Given that the key driver for Government funding for schools is by pupil numbers, the Governing Bodies of the two schools have been considering how to continue to provide high quality education for the local community within the resources available and to ensure maximum cost efficiency.
3.6 Taking into account the prospects of further reductions in pupil numbers and the need to maintain standards, coupled with the uncertainty of projected pupil numbers due to regeneration, the governors of Turlin Moor Community First School and Turlin Moor Community Middle School have discussed options with LA officers and requested permission to consult on combining the two schools into a ‘combined’ school, taking Reception (4 years old) to Year 7 (12 years old) pupils, with effect from September 2008.
3.7 The Authority already has seven other Combined schools. Combining would enable greater continuity and progression in the curriculum for all children and greater flexibility in developing specialist teaching for Year 7 children. Pupils tend to remain at Combined schools longer and there is a more sustained relationship with parents. The fixed costs of running a Combined school are less than that of two schools and therefore, staff and resources are more efficiently deployed.
3.8 The Borough’s School Organisation Plan supports both First, Middle Schools and Combined Schools.
3.9 When the change in the age of transfer takes effect, the new Combined school would become a Primary school.
3.10 The process of combining two schools is a statutory process and the final decision has to date been made by the School Organisation Committee (SOC). The Education and Inspections Act 2006 abolishes SOCs and introduces new arrangements for LAs to decide statutory proposals but with the right to appeal to the Schools Adjudicator in some cases.
3.11 At its meeting on 30th January 2007, Cabinet approved the recommendation from Children’s Services Overview Group that consultation be undertaken on the proposal to combine the two schools from September 2008.
3.12 The consultation process involved the circulation of a document to parents and carers of children at the two schools, school staff, headteachers and governors of all Poole schools and neighbouring schools in Dorset and a public meeting was held.
3.13 The outcome of the consultation which was in favour of combination was reported to Children’s Services Overview Group on 27th March 2007 and Cabinet was recommended to give approval for Public Notices to be published in April 2007.
3.14 A budget of £50,000 was also recommended for approval by Cabinet to progress the design for combining the schools in one building from September 2008.
4. OUTCOME OF THE CONSULTATION
4.1 Public Notices were published on 19th April 2007. No representations (either objecting or supporting) were received on any of the published proposals during the representation period which ended on 31st May 2007.
4.2 As the School Organisation Committee was abolished with effect from 25th May 2007, the proposals have been forwarded to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator for decision.
4.3 The Schools Adjudicator will inform the Local Authority of the decision within six weeks.
5. BUILDINGS ISSUES
5.1 The Governing Bodies of Turlin Moor Community First and Turlin Moor Community Middle School asked for the new combined school to be accommodated in one of the existing buildings from September 2008 until funding becomes available for a new building.
5.2 In March 2007 a feasibility study was undertaken in consultation with the two schools to consider whether temporary arrangements to combine the school in one building would be cost effective and workable. The conclusions of this study were that the schools can be combined in the Middle School with internal remodelling and extension and some temporary accommodation at an estimated cost of £1.3 m.
5.3 The programme produced as part of the feasibility study shows that the works to adapt and extend the existing Middle school building need to commence in November 2007 and be completed by Easter 2008 so that the First school can set up and move into their new accommodation before the end of the Summer term. In order to clear the area that will be converted, temporary accommodation needs to be in place early in the Autumn term and set up ready for use by the October half term. A planning application for the whole scheme, including the temporary classrooms, needs to be submitted and approved before the temporary accommodation can be installed.
5.4 As there is an urgent need to progress the planning application and the procurement of the temporary accommodation, an exception to Contract Standing Orders has been approved by the Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services to appoint the architects who undertook the feasibility study to undertake this work.
5.5 At the same time as the work on the planning application and the procurement of the temporary accommodation is progressed, the tender process to appoint a designer and project manager for the adaptations and extensions to the main building will be progressed with a view of having appointments made by the end of July 2007.
5.6 The cost of the proposed works can be met from the Education Capital Programme drawing on funding from the following priority areas:
· Statutory Priorities, School Meals, Schools Access Initiative
· Primary Capital Programme
· Town Centre and Hamworthy regeneration - s106 developer contributions
The Shadow Governing Body has also agreed that the new Combined school will commit its allocation of Devolved Formula Capital grant for a five year period.
5.7 Children’s Services Overview Group are asked to recommend to Cabinet that approval be given for an outline budget of £1.3m, funded as set out in paragraph 5.6 above, to accommodate the new Combined school in the existing Middle School building from September 2008.
5.8 A detailed report on the Education Capital Strategy will be presented to Children’s Services Overview Group in the Autumn. The report will include an update on progress on the Turlin Moor project.
Stuart Twiss
Chief Adviser / Head of Children and Young People’s Services – Strategy, Quality and Improvement
Contact officers:
Terry Finn
Senior Adviser
01202 633544
Nicola Keynes
Senior Education Officer (Planning and Development)
01202 633691
3