SUNNY BROW NURSERY SCHOOL
PROPOSED ENLARGEMENT BY 13 FULL TIME EQUIVALENT/26 PT PLACES
CONSULTATION DOCUMENT 1ST JULY 2014
INTRODUCTION
1. The proposals are to increase the capacity of the school to admit 26 additional children (on
Government funded places of 15 hours per week) from January 2015.
WHAT IS THE CURRENT SIZE OF THE SCHOOL?
2. The current admission number for the school is 52PT/26 FTE. All places have been
allocated for September ’14 – school will operate at capacity.
WHAT IS PROPOSED?
3. The proposed change is to add another 26 place morning class (13fte’s) – offering a new,
annual capacity of 78PT/39 FTE places
4. The proposals are put forward by the Governing Body of Sunny Brow Nursery School and if
approved would be implemented from 1st January 2015.
HOW WILL THE SCHOOL ORGANISED?
5. - There would two morning classes (8:45-11:45) and one afternoon class (12:15 – 3:15) to
meet parental request/demand.
- Children would receive 5 x 3 hour sessions, funded entirely by the Government grants.
- Flexible provision would be available, to studying and/or working parents – from 7:45 to
4:15 as part of the school’s extended services provision.
- Each of the groups would be taught by a graduate (QTS) teacher and a TA3
- The curriculum will follow the Early Years Foundation Stages strategy (2012) delivered
through the school’s innovative, effective teaching and learning strategies. Award winning
Outdoor Learning and Forest School education form an integral/important part of the
school’s approach.
- Expansion should allow children to be admitted at the point of entitlement i.e. the term
following their third birthday – allowing attendance for 5, 4 or 3 terms, before moving on to
Reception in the September following their fourth birthday.
- Before and After School services, plus the option to ‘buy’ extra sessions will be an option
for all children attending Sunny Brow.
- Admission criteria, for all services (Government funded and extended), will be LAC
(Children Looked After by the Local Authority), former LAC – now adopted, Special
Educational Need, specific/severe medical need, siblings already attending (this could
happen with a 5 term option), proximity to school.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF AN ADDITIONAL CLASS? (B&C)
6. The benefits to the children, families and school are:







More Middleton families will be able to choose the townships ONLY dedicated Nursery
School, as their first choice, early year’s education provider for their child.
The highly qualified/experienced staff will use their skills to make early identification of SEN.
As a pilot school for the Early Help programme the school will work closely with parents
towards the early identification of needs and will signpost families to the appropriate
support.
Current, former and prospective parents have requested extra places to allow them to
access their first choice option.
Children will be able to access outstanding (the first school in the town to gain a 3 rd
outstanding judgement in 2012) nursery education in the term following their third birthday.
This will allow more children to use their funded entitlement FULLY.
More parents will be able to access Parent Education sessions, held at the school. This will
support their ‘first step’ into education – creating strong foundations for the child’s journey
through the school system.
Areas of South and West Middleton, ‘served’ by the school, are amongst the most deprived
in the Borough. White, working class children have been highlighted in the recent Select
Committee Report on ‘Underachievement in Education’ – stating “Twice the proportion of
children attending an outstanding school will leave with five good GCSEs” and “we
welcome the introduction of Pupil Premium and the recent announcement of its extension
into early years.” Without travelling, families living in or around Lower Wood Street, Rhodes
and Little Heaton can only access Outstanding maintained provision at Sunny Brow.
The school will become more cost effective, through economy of scale. 78 children, rather
than 52, will be educated in the building – without any capital outlay for the LA. The budget
already pays rates, utilities, caretaking, cleaning etc. – and these will be more cost effective
as the ratio changes. Additional revenue costs will be met through the Government
funding, paid through the Early Years formula.
ARE MORE NURSERY PLACES JUSTIFIED?
7. The LA’s Child Care Sufficiency Assessment indicates that, overall, across the Township,
there are currently enough places offering the early years entitlement. However, in West
Middleton 91.6% take up places but there is only 78% coverage – suggesting that families
are having to look outside the area. In South Middleton uptake is lower (81.4%) but
provision/coverage exceeds uptake at 117% - suggesting that families are not accessing
some of the provision. Sunny Brow is operating at capacity and can’t accommodate all
requests for places.
Sunny Brow is the only LA maintained nursery provision for the South Middleton areas of
Rhodes/Little Heaton and is the ONLY maintained Nursery School for the Township. Of the
15 primary schools in the town (including Thornham) 6 have no nursery classes – and
Sunny Brow ‘feeds’ children to all of them.
Outstanding Nursery School places are essential in the Borough’s aim to ‘narrow the gap’.
West Middleton is in a Lower Super Output Area (LSOA showing the overall measure of
deprivation) which is amongst the 3% most deprived in England. 62% of all Nursery
Schools are in 30% of the most disadvantaged areas. The report from the Education Select
Committee 2014, published last week, argues that “as a particularly low-achieving group,
poor white children would have the most to gain from access to outstanding schools and
the best teachers.”
This January’s OFSTED report on Early Years inspections in 2013 states that “Nursery
Schools are the only institutions that make a substantive difference to children in
disadvantaged areas.”
Over the last 3 years, the live birth statistics available show the figures increasing, in
Middleton, from 633 to 637 to 649 (Office of National Statistics). It is expected that the following 2
years will stay ‘on trend’ at 673 and 685. The figures show increases of 87 to 106 in the
last 2 years in South; and 177 to 184 to 189 in the last 3 years, in West.
As our pupils are 3 years old on entry – we cannot (accurately) predict beyond 3 years
worth of live birth figures, but the LA still ‘expects’ them to rise.
8. The view of the school Governors is that parents who are not able to access Sunny Brow
are becoming frustrated – some access their 2nd choice of providers – and others choose
not to bother because they can’t have Sunny Brow. This becomes a barrier to accessing
their free entitlement. As other providers fill with families accessing the two year old offer –
it is likely that there will be a higher demand, at Sunny Brow for 3 / 4 year old places.
Middleton Township – live / expected birth figures
690
680
670
660
650
640
630
620
610
600
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12
2012/13
2013/14
Uptake v places in South & West Middleton
No of 3/4 year
olds
SOUTH
MIDDLETON
WEST
MIDDLETON
(Super LSOA 3%
most deprived in
UK
% taking
entitlement
Places available
across all sectors
Excess/shortfall
242
81.4%
285
+43 but not being
accessed
286
91.6%
262
-62 having to go
elsewhere
HOW WILL THE PROPOSED EXPANSION BE FUNDED?
9. There will be no demand on the LA for capital funding. The school has previously had an
intake of 52 ftes (well above the proposed 39) – so the building/grounds can accommodate
the increase in numbers without alteration.
The revenue for the additional 13ftes would be through the Early Years Single Formula
Funding, paid by Central Government to the LA.
WHO WILL BE CONSULTED?
10. In accordance with statutory guidance – these documents are available on our website –
the following people will be ‘signposted’ via email and/or letter:







Parents/carers of current, future and potential pupils.
Staff at school
Headteachers/Governors of Middleton Primary and Secondary Schools (including
Academies)
Local early years providers
Recognised trade unions
Middleton Township
MP’s for Heywood and Middleton
Neighbouring LA’s
HOW/WHERE CAN I EXPRESS MY VIEWS TO THE GOVERNING BODY?
11. There will be a drop in session on:__________________________________ at
Sunny Brow Nursery School in the Forest Room.
The consultation period will last from 3rd July to 14th August 2014. Responses can be posted to
Mrs Sharon Snook, Sunny Brow Nursery School, Sunny Brow Road, Archer Park, Middleton,
Manchester, M24 4AD or e-mailed to s.snook@sunnybrow.rochdale.sch.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER AUGUST 14TH ?
12. After this date the consultation will cease, the Governing Body will consider all responses
received. If the decision is then taken to go ahead with expansion, further information will
be circulated – via post, email and our website.
p:\office\consultation & 3rd class\consultation document.docx