ST DOMINIC’S CONSULTATION MEETINGS

10 July 2008

Parents meeting 2.00pm

Name / Title / Initials
Elaine Ayre / Service Director, Dept. of Children and Family Services (DCFS) / EA
Lynda Richardson / Children’s Services Manager, DCFS / LR
Tony Ford / Schools Officer, Liverpool Archdiocese / TF
Chris Williams / Buildings Officer, Liverpool Archdiocese / CW
Stuart Harrison / Deputy Director of Schools, Liverpool Diocese / SH
Frank Maguire / Consultant to Diocese and former headteacher EmmausSchool, Liverpool / FM
Anne Forsyth / Admissions Manager, DCFS / AF
Lynne Bennett / School Organisation Officer, DCFS / LB
Jenny Sweeny / Project Manager, DCFS / JS
Harry Darby / InterimSchool Organisation Manager, DCFS / HD

1.Introductions

2. Presentation by Elaine Ayre

3.Q & A

Question/comment
Is there a plan for the new building?
EA
Not yet, we’re still at the design stage.
Question/comment
When will the new school open?
EA
The build timeline is to open the new school in September 2010.
Question/comment
Which part of the site will the new school be on?
EA
We’ve had feasibility studies done to determine which the best place to locate the new school is and it’s likely to be on the same site as the learning centre.
Comment
Access tothe school is important.
EA
Absolutely. It’s one of the things we take into account when considering the location of any new school.
Question/comment
Will there be a swimming pool?
EA
No, funding is a major issue, particularly with swimming pools.
Comment
Some schools have pools.
EA
We haven’t got the funding to include a swimming pool. The Council does consider the location of sports and leisure facilities when determining location of new builds so we can get a complete picture. There needs to be certain facilities within a specific distance.
Question/comment
We’ve heard that the learning centres will be amalgamating.
It’s not an amalgamation. In the Learning Centre there will be 6 forms of entry: 3 Catholic and 3 Church of England. There will be additional places so that children who may not have chosen to come to this school in the past will consider it and the places will be there for them.
Q
So there isn’t another secondary school due to close and amalgamate with St Edmund of Canterbury?
EA
That’s correct.
Question/comment
I worry about losing the intimacy of our school, and about the new school being too big.
EA
The primary provision won’t be bigger but there will be 2FE extra in the secondary provision.
FM
This is the most fantastic opportunity – to start in a new building with new opportunities. The joint faith aspect had no issues at all in my previous school, although to counter any potential issues I was appointed as headteacher and an Anglican was appointed as deputy, but no issues ever arose. The sense of pride in a new school is enormous.
Question/comment
Will there be the same teachers?
EA
There will be a temporary governing body set up for the new school, with representation from all sectors, including NDC, and they will determine the staffing structure for the new school. All staff will be able to apply for a job in the new structure.
Question/comment
Weill there be bigger classes?
EA,
No there is a ratio of pupils to teachers in the primary sector.

Meeting closed 3.00pm

Staff meeting 3.30pm

Name / Title / Initials
Elaine Ayre / Service Director, Dept. of Children and Family Services (DCFS) / EA
Lynda Richardson / Children’s Services Manager, DCFS / LR
Tony Ford / Schools Officer, Liverpool Archdiocese / TF
Chris Williams / Buildings Officer, Liverpool Archdiocese / CW
Stuart Harrison / Deputy Director of Schools, Liverpool Diocese / SH
Frank Maguire / Consultant to Diocese and former headteacher EmmausSchool, Liverpool / FM
Anne Forsyth / Admissions Manager, DCFS / AF
Lynne Bennett / School Organisation Officer, DCFS / LB
Jenny Sweeny / Project Manager, DCFS / JS
Jason Woodruff / HR Manager, Dept. Corporate Resources / JW
  1. Introductions
  1. Presentation by Elaine Ayre
  1. Q & A

Question/comment
Who would apply if there was a competition?
EA
Any organisation can submit a bid, e.g. parent or community groups, charities and educational trusts.
Q
How would the Archdiocese feel about another organisation running their school?
LB
If we had to go to competition we as the LA can’t specify what category of school the new school should be, so it wouldn’t be the Archdiocese’ school.
EA
In Northwood in Kirkby we have just published our first Statutory Notice for a competition to be held. Interested parties can submit a bid according to the specification. The proposal is for 2 primary schools and 1 special school to close, and for a new school to b established in their place. There will be a seminar on 31 July for interested parties so now we’re waiting to hear who is interested. There is support for the LA to submit a bid in the competition, and we’re about to do that. If the LA puts in a bid we’re not allowed to judge the competition, but we can judge it if we don’t take part in the competition.
Question/comment
What is the timescale for opening the school?
EA
The build timeline is for an opening date of September 2010, and if you look next door, at the new learning centre site, you’ll realise how fast the buildings go up. The timeline for the learning centre is for a November handover with 6 weeks after that for managing the handover.
Question/comment
Will our jobs be safe or do we have to apply?
JW
If this proposal goes through the Archdiocese and Diocese would be the new, joint employer. We would then follow the model we have used for St Edmund of Canterbury, where staff are being assimilated or redeployed. This doesn’t mean that jobs will be the same. At this point it’s not appropriate to go into detail because we can’t pre-empt the legal process, but once a decision is made we cam meet with you individually to map out what you want. This could include voluntary redundancy if that’s what you want.
In the secondary sector there are 1,300 staff currently going through the process.
Comment
Will it be confidential?
JW
We’re in regular contact withthe unions and all of the individual meetings will be totally confidential.
Q
When will you be able to come in and start the meetings?
LB
The anticipated timeline is for a decision in January 2009.
JW
The latest FSK document includes 9 proposals for primary schools and therefore we’re looking across all schools. So for example if one school is not affected by a proposal, but a member of staff wishes to take voluntary redundancy, it would create a vacancy, so we’ll be taking a wider approach.
CW
We’re looking a sustainable numbers so we can draw some conclusions from that.

Meeting ended 3.45pm

Governors meeting 4.30pm

Name / Title / Initials
Elaine Ayre / Service Director, Dept. of Children and Family Services (DCFS) / EA
Lynda Richardson / Children’s Services Manager, DCFS / LR
Tony Ford / Schools Officer, Liverpool Archdiocese / TF
Chris Williams / Buildings Officer, Liverpool Archdiocese / CW
Stuart Harrison / Deputy Director of Schools, Liverpool Diocese / SH
Frank Maguire / Consultant to Diocese and former headteacher EmmausSchool, Liverpool / FM
Anne Forsyth / Admissions Manager, DCFS / AF
Lynne Bennett / School Organisation Officer, DCFS / LB
Jenny Sweeny / Project Manager, DCFS / JS
Jason Woodruff / HR Manager, Dept. Corporate Resources / JW
  1. Introductions
  1. Presentation by Elaine Ayre
  1. Q & A

Apologies were received from Fr. Robson, who could not attend the meeting, but wished to express his concern that 2 FE in the new primary school will be insufficient and that the new building needs to be flexible to accommodate any increase in the number of pupils.

Question/comment
Will there be a new governing body?
EA
We’ll be looking for a new temporary governing body to be set up, and that will consist of the Archdiocese, Diocese and NDC, but there are regulations pertaining to the number of representatives. The temporary governing body will determine the staffing structure.
EA outlined the questions/comments raised during the parents and staff meeting i.e. site location, access, swimming pool.
There followed a general discussion about the new school.

Meeting ended 5.00pm.