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Pupil Place Planning. Presentation to Chairs’ and Governors’ Forum 7 February 2012 Alan Wharton. Demand for Primary Pupil Places. Meeting demand (primary) 1. Most primary pupils attend schools close to home.
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Pupil Place Planning Presentation to Chairs’ and Governors’ Forum 7 February 2012 Alan Wharton
Meeting demand (primary) 1 • Most primary pupils attend schools close to home. • Overall need for equivalent of 2 forms of entry in the north and 1 form of entry in the south. • ARK Atwood has delivered a 2 FE school in the NW area, currently able to provide R, Y1 and Y2, pending completion of the new purpose-built school. • A free school proposal from Constable Education Trust has been made for the college site in Cosway Street, an area of rising demand. • The DfE is the decision maker for free schools, but the Council is not opposed in principle to free schools.
Meeting demand (primary) 2 • A free school has also be proposed for the South, which would deliver the required number of spaces, and options are being considered. • The School Organisation and Investment Strategy approved by Cllr Aiken in February states that the Council will support free schools with Council land and property provided there is demonstrated demand. • Government Planning policy requires local planning authorities to give support to free schools.
Meeting demand (secondary) • In overall terms the Council has sufficient places available. • Many pupils come from other boroughs. • A new successful school will draw extra pupils. • Neighbouring boroughs are also developing new secondary schools/academies. • Further statistical evidence on demand will be available shortly.
Housing Benefit Caps There are over 4,000 children and young people living in the impacted households for both the primary and secondary sector. It is estimated that Westminster could potentially lose 17% of primary school age children and 11% of their 11 to 13 year old pupils.
Housing Benefit Caps –potential impact on existing school population Paddington Green (34% loss) St Augustine’s (25% loss) Hallfield Infants* (24% loss) St James and St Michaels (23% loss) Edward Wilson Primary (21% loss) Hallfield Juniors* (21% loss) * Statistics compiled early 2011
Approved Policies, February 2012 • The Council will seek to enlarge the capacity of schools where provision is less than a full year group where the opportunity exists, i.e. from 45 to 60 places, • where opportunity exists, and subject to viability in terms of education provision, standards and performance, building feasibility and value for money, to reduce the number of 1 form entry schools in favour of two form entry schools, • the Council will promote the contribution of established providers, i.e. community schools and VA schools across the City, • where new school provision is required to meet evidence of demand, the Council will seek to enlarge or amalgamate existing schools, and where a new school is required will open this to competition, • will encourage the new free schools to compete with existing providers where a new school is required to meet demand, and only where that criteria is met will consider the contribution of Council owned land, whether that land is held for education purposes or not, • will deal with proposals by free schools and academies to take over existing schools on their merits, • all other proposals by independent providers, free schools and academies, will be dealt with on a commercial basis.
Next steps • Schools considered in locality clusters • Agree key principles to use • Data to be circulated in advance – previous condition surveys from Schofield Lothian, and other data as available • Get feedback from schools on condition surveys, scoring priorities, and compliance • Groups to consider demand and need, and the options that might be available.
