Agenda Item
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
EDUCATION PANEL
TUESDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2006 AT 2.00 PM
3
POTTERS BAR PRIMARY REVIEW
Report of the Director of Children Schools and Families
Report Authors:
Executive Member:
Local Members:
Paul Wray - Planning Manager
Janet Rees - Planning Officer
David Lloyd
Eddie Roach, John Usher
Tel: 01992 555860
Tel: 01992 555813
1.
Purpose of report
1.1
To inform the Education Panel of the outcome of the public consultation on
the options for the Potters Bar Primary Review (total proposed reduction of
3FE or 90 places).
Options
Option 1:
Option 2:
Option 3:
1.2
To close Sunny Bank School and reduce Oakmere School to
1FE
To close Oakmere School and reduce Sunny Bank to 1FE
To close Sunny Bank and Oakmere Schools and increase
Cranborne from 2FE to 3FE
For the Panel to make any comments and recommendations to Cabinet, so
that Cabinet can decide on 16 October 2006 whether to:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
accept any of the options and authorise the Director to publish
statutory notices;
take no further action; or
initiate fresh consultation on any alternative suggestion(s)
1
2.
Summary
This report provides the information from the consultation process, and a
commentary on the issues raised. It is organised in the following way:
Section
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Purpose of the Report
Summary
Conclusions
Background – explaining the process and timescale of
the consultation
Results of Consultation and Commentary
Responses to the Proposals
Financial implications
(a)
revenue
(b)
capital
Page
1
2
2
3
5
8
9
3.
Conclusions
3.1
The need to reduce places
Potters Bar has a large number of surplus places. If no action is taken, it is
forecast that by 2012, surplus places in the town will increase to
approximately 40% at reception. This level of surplus is far above the
expectation of between 5-10% recommended by the Audit Commission.
Maintaining this high level of surplus would not be cost effective, and schools
could be at risk of under performance and serious weakness in a falling rolls
situation.
The three options listed below remove 3FE from Potters Bar primary
provision, leaving a surplus of approximately 10%.
3.2
Options
A Public Consultation was held between 5 May and 27 July 2006, on the
following options:
Option 1 (Officer preferred option): Close Sunny Bank School and reduce
Oakmere from 2FE to 1FE
Option 2: Close Oakmere School and reduce Sunny Bank from 2FE to 1FE
Option 3: Close both Sunny Bank and Oakmere Schools and increase
Cranborne School from 2FE to 3FE
Both Oakmere and Sunny Bank Schools are located on the edge of town,
Oakmere to the East and Sunny Bank to the South. Both have significant
surplus places (see 4.1 below for figures). Option 1 is the preferred option
because (i) Oakmere is located in the largest area of high deprivation in
Potters Bar and this option would retain a school in that part of town, and (ii)
because Sunny Bank has the lowest pupil numbers, this option would mean
disruption to the least number of pupils transferring to another school. All
Sunny Bank pupils can be accommodated at Cranborne School, with the
possibility of some temporary transitional accommodation.
2
4.
Background
4.1
Context
Pupil numbers have been declining in Potters Bar for some time, which the
authority has been monitoring. Discussions were held with Headteachers in
the town, which culminated in the authority bringing forward this review.
Surplus places within the town are not distributed evenly across schools, but
are currently as follows.
School
Published
Admission
Number
(PAN)
Capacity
(PAN x 7,
for Years R
to 6)
Cranborne
Ladbrooke
Little Heath
Oakmere
Pope Paul
St Giles
Sunny Bank
Wroxham
60
30
30
60
30
15
60
30
420
210
210
420
210
105
420
210
Numbers
on roll
excluding
Nursery
(PLASC
Jan 06)
286
205
210
285
200
94
192
210
Allocations
for
reception
Sept 06 (as
at May 06)
No of
surplus
places
42
30
27
20
30
11
17
30
134
5
0
135
10
11
228
0
This is a ‘snapshot’ of the figures, and although there may be slight variations
at different times, it can be seen that Sunny Bank has the highest level of
surplus places, while also having the lowest parental preference in relation to
Published Admission Numbers.
4.2
Process and timescale
4.2.1
Public consultation on the proposals started on 5 May 2006 and closed on 27
July 2006. Prior to this, a firm of consultants (Capita) were employed by
HCC. They held discussions over several months with Headteachers,
Governing Bodies and other interested representative stakeholders about the
need to reduce surplus places, and some of the practical implications.
4.2.2
Following these discussions, which included options put forward by Capita
and HCC to address surplus places, further options were suggested by
Schools and a County Councillor. These were tested against the 4 criteria
listed below, which have been endorsed by the County Council’s Cabinet. A
decision was then made by the Director of CSF as to which options should be
taken forward to public consultation.
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The 4 criteria are that the option should:
 reduce surplus places and provide places where they are needed to meet
demand
 enhance capacity to raise educational standards, reduce risk of underperformance or serious weakness, and offer extended schools
 have acceptable implications for building design, environmental impact,
and cost
 have acceptable transitional arrangements for affected pupils.
4.2.3
Consultation documents were sent to all parents/carers, governors and staff
of the schools affected, as well as to all schools in the area and to all other
statutory consultees. Documents were also sent to residents local to the
schools, supermarkets, doctors’ surgeries, libraries and CABs in the area. In
addition, a notice was placed in the local newspaper giving details of the
public meetings and how to obtain further copies of the consultation
document. The document and response form were also available on HCC’s
website. A copy of the consultation document is attached as Appendix 1.
The current numbers on roll at the schools potentially affected is attached as
appendix 2, as well as in the table in 4.1 above.
4.2.4
Two public meetings were held at Sunny Bank, two at Oakmere and one at
Cranborne Schools, which were attended by approximately 300 people in
total. Each of the meetings was chaired by an independent facilitator from
Accent (an independent market research company). The meetings were tape
recorded, and the tapes transcribed and posted on the HCC website.
4.2.5
Meetings were offered to the governing bodies of the schools and
representative organisations.
4..2.6 Following this meeting of the Panel, Cabinet will decide on 16 October
whether or not to authorise the Director of CSF to publish statutory notices to
proceed with one or more of the proposals. If it decides to publish, the
statutory notice(s) would run for six weeks during which time comments and
objections may be made. If there are objections, the proposal(s) would be
determined by the independent School Organisation Committee for
Hertfordshire at a meeting in December 2006.
4
5
5.1
Results of Consultation and Commentary
Responses to the consultation
In total there were 572 responses to the consultation, plus a petition from
Oakmere with 1242 signatures. Copies of all responses received plus
transcripts of the public meetings are available in the Members’ Room. The
consultation document and transcripts from the meetings are published on the
HCC website.
Copies of the responses from the following key stakeholders are attached as
Appendix 3 to this report:
a
b
c
Sunny Bank School Governing Body (and officer response)
St John’s Playgroup
Keith Hooper, headteacher, Sunny Bank (joint response from
Headteacher and staff)
5.2
Key issues raised during the consultation and officer response
5.2.1
The accuracy of the County Council’s forecasting was questioned by
some respondents, especially with regard to regeneration and/or new house
building in some parts of the town. The accuracy of HCC’s forecasts is within
the guidelines of +/-1% that is recommended by the Audit Commission. They
recommend a surplus of between 5 and 10%,To Remove 3FE from Potters
Bar would leave a surplus of about 10%, leaving the town’s surplus at the
higher end of the Audit Commission’s recommendation. To remove more (eg
4FE) would leave the area below the recommended guidelines.
During the consultation there was little or no fundamental disagreement with
the need to address the surplus places within Potters Bar, although there was
disagreement about the number of places that should be removed. To
maintain the status quo would not be cost effective and could leave schools at
risk of under performance and serious weakness in a falling rolls situation.
The Governing Body from Sunny Bank School felt that HCC had underestimated the number of places that would be required. They obtained their
own birth and under-5s data from local doctors’ surgeries, which showed
more children than the HCC forecast. As a result, they felt that removing 3FE
from the town was too much, and only 2FE should be removed. It was
explained that translating the raw data they had obtained from local doctors
directly into numbers of school places for the future would produce inaccurate
forecasts. The County Council updates its forecasts on an annual basis by
obtaining data direct from the NHS on live births and under-5s who live in the
area, filtered by postcodes and dates of birth. This identifies the children who
live in Potters Bar, and enables them to be placed into appropriate academic
year groups. This has a significant affect on accuracy. In addition, the
forecasting tool takes into account mobility trends and new housing.
Following receipt of the challenge from Sunny Bank Governors, the NHS was
asked to comment on the apparent discrepancy in data. They (the NHS)
responded that they are confident the data they have supplied to HCC is
accurate, using postcodes and dates of birth. The Council is equally
confident that the forecasts of pupil numbers are as accurate as it is possible
5
to be. The Sunny Bank Governors also asked that anecdotal information be
taken into consideration, such as the number of pregnant women registered
with Barnet Hospital. It was explained that the hospital covers a very large
area, not just Potters Bar, and only hard evidence can be used in forecasting.
5.2.2
Safety, traffic congestion and distance to travel: Some respondents were
concerned about the distance that children would have to walk to school, and
also about increased traffic at Cranborne School. Parental concern about
traffic congestion and safe travel is very understandable. Cranborne is
already a 2FE school, and it is not planned to increase this on a permanent
basis. There might be a slight short-term increase in numbers if Sunny Bank
closes and all pupils choose to attend Cranborne. Using the shortest
designated route, the distance between Sunny Bank and Cranborne is 1632
metres (1.01 miles), and between Oakmere and Cranborne is 3102 metres
(1.92 miles). However, there are a number of Sunny Bank pupils who live
closer to other schools, and some parents may choose to transfer their child
elsewhere (see Appendix 4 for Sunny Bank pupil distribution). Cranborne is a
2FE school and filling it does not increase the number of children for which it
is intended. The distance between Sunny Bank and Oakmere Schools is
2079 metres (1.29 miles).
5.2.3
The size of the Cranborne School site was queried by some respondents,
as low numbers has meant it functioning at approximately 1.5FE. Some
classrooms have been used for other purposes, eg ICT suite and library.
Some building works will be required to bring it up to a modern 2FE standard.
The cost of this will be in the region of £1.5m to £2m. This will provide a 2FE
school in a central location that is fit for purpose to teach a modern
curriculum.
5.2.4
Disruption to pupils from a closing school was raised by some respondents.
While a school closure is undoubtedly unsettling for pupils, it is necessary for
all concerned, HCC, staff/governors at the school(s) and parents, to manage
that transition in order to minimise potential disruption. Based on past
reorganisations of school provision, it is HCC’s experience that everyone
works exceptionally hard to achieve this end successfully. Relatively few of
the Sunny Bank pupils live close to the school, the vast majority of whom live
to the north of the school, and many nearer to other schools.
5.2.5
Option 3, the proposal to expand Cranborne to 3FE was a concern to
some respondents who felt that primary children do not thrive in such large
schools, and that the increased traffic congestion to and from Cranborne
would be untenable. 98% of all responses were against this option.
5.2.6
Relocation of Playgroup. St John’s Playgroup use part of the Sunny Bank
building as a venue for morning sessions and extended lunchtime provision.
They expressed concern should the school close. County Council officers are
investigating alternative venues, should the decision be taken to close Sunny
Bank School.
5.2.7
The use of a closed school site was raised by some respondents. There
was some cynicism around the County Council’s reasons for considering
school closures. It was explained that any closed school site would firstly be
considered for alternative County Council use. If not required, then it may be
put up for sale and could possibly be sold for housing. However, the playing
6
fields could not be built upon, only the site of existing buildings and car parks.
Hertfordshire Property Services estimate that, should the Sunny Bank site be
sold, an area of approximately 1.7 hectares might be identified for possible
development. Given the surrounding area and that the site is located within
the Green Belt, a density of 40 dwellings per hectare has been identified.
5.2.8
Reduction of parental preference. Some parents are concerned that taking
out surplus places reduces parental choice. It was explained that while a
reduction in places will inevitably result in a lower number of surplus places,
the Audit Commission’s recommendation of between 5 and 10% surplus
allows for parental preference.
5.2.9
Why Ladbrooke School had been built and why it is not being
considered for closure was queried by some respondents, since this would
seem to exacerbate the surplus places situation. The new building replaced
the old school building that had come to the end of its useful life as a popular
1FE school, at the end of the 1990s. It has been decided that Ladbrooke
should remain open due to a high level of parental preference, and also
because it is the newest school building in the town. New buildings are more
cost effective in terms of repairs and maintenance.
5.2.10 The Data on Income Deprivation Affecting Children was raised, as some
respondents did not think this should be taken into account. There are two
areas within Potters Bar that fall within the 10% most affected areas of
Hertfordshire. Oakmere is situated within the largest area, which is in the
east of the town, and there is another smaller area close to Sunny Bank,
although the school is not situated within it.
5.2.11 New housing was raised and its likelihood of providing more children.
However, unlike some other parts of Hertfordshire, there is very little new
house building planned in the Potters Bar area.
5.2.12 Geographical location was raised by some respondents, who felt that pupils
from either Cranborne or Ladbrooke Schools could more easily transfer to
another school, since both are in reasonably central locations. However, this
would take no account of parental preference and would mean a high level of
pupil disruption. Some pupils would have to travel long distances, as both
Sunny Bank and Oakmere Schools are situated on the edge of town,
bordering onto open green belt land.
7
5.2.13 The size of buildings and sites was raised by some respondents, in
particular the size of Sunny Bank and Oakmere School buildings and
sites in comparison with Cranborne.
Sunny Bank is a 2FE school built in the 1960s, operating in 2 blocks. Our
property consultants, Mace, have confirmed that it is “reaching the end of its
useful life,” although it is well maintained. The site is not conducive to access
for all, with changes of level inside and out. In many instances this could be
overcome, but it would not be easy to provide access to the first floor in either
of the 2 blocks.
Oakmere is a 2FE school (originally 3FE) built in the 1960s, operating in 2
blocks. Our property consultants, Mace, have confirmed that it is “coming to
the end of its useful life,” although it is well maintained. The site is not
conducive to access for all, with changes of level inside and out. In many
instances this could be overcome, but it would not be easy to provide access
to the first floor in either of the 2 blocks.
Cranborne is a 2FE school, built in 1991 to replace a Victorian building on an
adjacent site. It is fully accessible throughout, with ramps /level access.
Although a 2FE school, Cranborne has been functioning at approximately
1.5FE. Some building works would be required to enable it to function
effectively as a modern 2FE school, with ICT suite, library, food technology
facilities and appropriate staff/admin space.
5.2.14 Following the public consultation, the Governing Body of Sunny Bank School
has decided to apply for Foundation Status (please see a copy of the
correspondence in Appendix 5). If this status is agreed, it would not affect the
outcome of this review, but it could affect the possible future disposal of the
site.
6
Responses to the proposals
6.1
A summary of all responses received and whether they agree/disagree
with the options, is as follows.
Options
Agree
Disagree
Don’t
Know
Not
answered
Option 1 : close Sunny Bank
and reduce Oakmere to 1FE
Option 2: close Oakmere and
reduce Sunny Bank to 1FE
Option 3: close Sunny Bank
and Oakmere and increase
Cranborne to 3FE
140
(33.5%)
173
(33.7%)
7
(1.2%)
277
(66.4%)
339
(66.2%)
541
(98.7%)
11
148
10
57
5
27
A summary of the responses and issues raised is attached as Appendix 6. In
addition to these responses, a petition was received from Oakmere with 1242
signatures, advocating that the school should remain open. Some responses
from Sunny Bank allude to a 4000 signature petition against its closure, but
this had not been received at the time of writing this report.
The largest number of responses, 237, was from parents, with 17 from
Governors, 26 from staff and 183 others (eg local residents, grandparents).
8
7.
Financial implications
7.1
Revenue implications
7.1.1
The following table summarises the estimated revenue implications of the
preferred proposal. The main costs relate to redundancy, pensions and the
charges for the school sites taken out of use. Further detail is provided in
Appendix 7.
Central
Budgets
School
Budget
shares
2007/8
£000
2008/9
£000
2009/10
£000
2010/1
1
£000
2011/12
£000
Long
Term
£000
149
162
85
85
85
85
256
(33)
(57)
(98)
(115)
(115)
7.1.2
The future years’ savings shown against the Schools Budget include
reductions in lump sum and premises funding in school budget shares, based
on the operation of the HCC funding formula. The situations arising from the
reorganisation (school closures, movement of pupils between schools, etc.)
are likely to result in abnormally high levels of protection funding under the
Government’s Minimum Funding Guarantee (MFG) which would offset the
savings shown. It has been assumed that where such anomalies arise, the
Schools Forum would agree to exceptions in the normal operation of the
MFG. If the Forum does not agree, the savings shown in the table would not
be achievable.
7.1.3
Under DfES rules, resources from school budget share savings have to be
redirected elsewhere in the Schools’ Budget. Therefore they cannot generally
be used to offset the costs of reorganisation met by central budgets.
However, one potential exception to this rule concerns redundancy costs
which may be charged to the Schools Budget if the revenue savings that will
be achieved are greater than the costs incurred, and if the Schools Forum has
agreed. The Schools Forum has provisionally agreed that £300,000
redundancy/pension costs from school reorganisations can be charged to
“headroom” in the Schools Budget. The redundancy/pension costs have
therefore been split. The first year costs have been attributed to the Schools
Budget. However, due to the expected pressure on the Schools Budget from
other reorganisations in future years, the ongoing pension costs have been
attributed to the central budget.
7.1.4
It is expected that the costs relating to central budgets will be met from the
provision for reorganisations already included in those budgets.
9
7.2
Capital implications
7.2.1
Proposed expenditure at Cranborne School of between £1.5m and £2m would
be met by the sale of surplus site(s), assuming there is no requirement for use
within the County Council. This does not include the possible provision of
mobile classroom(s) for the transitional period.
7.2.2
According to an estimate from Lambert Smith Hampton, the Sunny Bank site
is worth approximately £3.9m, should it be sold for housing development on
the appropriate area of the site.
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LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix 1
Potters Bar consultation document
2
Pupil numbers on roll
3a-c
Correspondence received from key
stakeholders and officer response to the
governing body of Sunny Bank School
4
Sunny Bank pupil distribution
5
Foundation status: correspondence from
Sunny Bank School and officer response
6
Summary of responses to the consultation
7
Financial implications
11