APPENDIX 18

OAKVIEWPRIMARY SCHOOL:

PROPOSAL TO EXPAND THE PREMISES by 1 f.e. from September 2011

1.Response to the consultation.

1.1A total of 16 responses were received to the consultation of which 12.5%were in agreement with the proposal. A breakdown of the responses is shown below:

Respondent / No of responses / Agree / Disagree / Don't Know
parent/carer / 9 / 1 / 5 / 3
Other e.g. resident or grandparent / 2 / 1 / 1
Local resident / 2 / 1 / 1
governor / 1 / 1
member of school staff / 1 / 1
Grandparent / 1 / 1
Not Answered
Total / 16 / 2 / 8 / 6
% / 12.5% / 50.0% / 37.5%

1.2Officers offered to attend a Governing Body meeting during the consultation period.

1.3The Governing body is not in favour of the expansion to 2FE for the following reasons:

  • they fear that changes to the school’s accommodation could result in the relocation of the existing community users and the after-school club, who each currently occupy a classroom at the school; they would like a purpose built unit for these group on the school site;
  • they say that parents at the school are not generally in favour of the proposal; and
  • they are not convinced that the expansion will be necessary if a new primary school is built on the former New Briars site.

1.4A copy of its response can be found at the end of this appendix.

2.Key issues raised

2.1The following key issues were raised and the County Council’s response to them is shown below:

Main Issue / Response to issue
The expansion will result in increased traffic congestion and parking issues / Evaluation of the highways issues, including parking, will be included in any future town planning application, and the Highways Authority will be a statutory consultee to any such application.
HCC should invest in building improvements and renovations / As part of the expansions project, some funding will be made available to enable schools to improve their existing facilities.
Insufficient core facilities - dining/hall/PE/
outside play / The Oak View building is sufficient for a 2FE school and therefore they do not have an immediate need for additional classrooms. It is proposed to monitor pupil numbers and review the school’s accommodation needs, including community use, over the next couple of years. Dining and hall space at the school already meets the Herts. County Council model for a 2FE primary school, but we will ensure that sufficient hard and grassed play space is provided to accommodate the additional pupils.
Provision in accommodation should be made for community groups and afterschool club / Oak View Primary theoretically has sufficient classrooms to expand to 2FE without any additional accommodation being provided, but this would necessitate either the relocation of the current community users and the after-school club, or the provision of additional accommodation for them on the school site. It is proposed to monitor the situation and to provide additional accommodation, if it is still required, for September 2014.
New Briars should not have been closed / The decision to close NewBriarsPrimary School was made as a result of a trend of falling pupil rolls in Hatfield, which was forecast to continue for the foreseeable future. However, in Hertfordshire, as nationally, the situation has been reversed, and a rise in the birth rate, along with other factors, has led to increased demand for primary school places, which we are now seeking to address by creating additional places in the area of Hatfield where they are most needed.
An increase in pupil numbers is not best for the needs of the children / 2FE schools are the County Council’s preferred size as they provide the opportunity to sustain educational improvement, enable the delivery of a broad curriculum, and have the critical mass of pupils to manage fluctuations in numbers.

2.2In addition to these key issues raised by a number of respondents, there were individual comments about a range of issues.

2.3Copies of every response received are available in the Members Room for Members to review the detail prior to the Education Panel and Cabinet meetings.

3.Conclusions and recommendations

3.1The site is capable of expansion and although some key issues have been raised through the consultation, these can be responded to. There is a significant increase in demand for primary school places in this part of Hatfield and, without these additional places, there will be insufficient primary places to meet the need from the town.

3.2It is therefore recommended that this expansion should proceed.