Proposals to reorganise the Willows group of schools Contact us

North East Lincolnshire Council Directorate of Children & Family Services
Contact us
Children and Family Services
43 Freeman Street
Grimsby
DN32 7AU or
email [email protected]
Proposals to reorganise the Willows group of schools
Proposals to
reorganise the
Willows group
of schools
North East Lincolnshire Council Directorate of Children & Family Services
Introduction
What are the options?
We are writing to you as parents and carers of the pupils at
the Willows group of schools* to set out some options for the
reorganisation of schools in the Willows community area. There
are currently too many places in our secondary schools. This is
particularly an issue for Whitgift School where we have more space
than we need for the number of pupils. You will understand that it is
very wasteful to heat and maintain unused rooms and corridors.
We cannot sit back and do nothing as there will not be enough
money in the overall schools budget to maintain all the schools
with surplus places or low numbers of pupils in the coming years.
Therefore, we have set out two options that we could take to
improve the situation. We are very keen to hear what you and the
wider community think about the options we have set out below,
and whether you have any other ideas or suggestions about how
we could deal with the issues.
There is not the same problem with surplus places in our primary
schools. However, the number of children being admitted into
two of the schools in this group is very low and it makes them
also too expensive to run. At first, it means that the school cannot
afford ‘extras’ then, eventually, this results in not being able to have
teaching assistants or even teachers.
*including Littlecoates Primary School
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Proposals to reorganise the Willows group of schools
Option 1
To discontinue (stop providing education at) Willows Primary
School, Great Coates Primary School and Littlecoates Primary
School and alter the age range of Whitgift School to create an
all-through school for pupils aged 3 to 16.
This option would mean that Willows Primary, Great Coates Primary
and Littlecoates Primary Schools would all close on 31 August
2012 and Whitgift School would become a 1100 place, all-through
school for 3-16 year olds on 1 September 2012. The proposal will
help to reduce the number of surplus places in secondary schools,
and deal with the problem of being able to afford to run the small
primary schools in the local area. It will also enable secondary
education to continue to be provided locally. An all-through school
will help to bring about a real community school based on the
needs of all children, young people and their families in the area.
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North East Lincolnshire Council Directorate of Children & Family Services
Proposals to reorganise the Willows group of schools
Advantages
Disadvantages
• Retains secondary provision in the area
• Provides long term sustainability for the area
• Involves the closure of the existing schools
(but retains education for all ages in the area)
• Removes the required surplus places
• Disruption to children during the move to the new organisation
• An all-though school offers the opportunity for children to
develop in an environment where they are well known and
cared for
• May require travel arrangements and plans for some primary
aged children who attend Littlecoates
• Parents and carers can develop good relationships with their
children’s teachers over the whole of their education from
age 3-16
To discontinue (stop providing education at) Whitgift School,
Great Coates Primary School, Willows Primary School and
Littlecoates Primary School and open an amalgamated 4 to 11
primary school (with Foundation Stage 1 at age 4).
• Addresses the problem of being able to afford to run the
secondary and the primary schools
• Offers the opportunity to develop a new type of
community school
• Removes the need for children to move school at the end of
each phase
Option 2
This proposal would mean that Whitgift School, Great Coates
Primary, Willows Primary and Littlecoates Primary Schools would all
close on the 31 August 2012 and a new amalgamated 525 primary
school would open on 1 September 2012 within the Great Coates
and Whitgift Centre buildings. The proposal would deal with surplus
places in the secondary sector and address the financial difficulties
faced by the small primary schools. However, it would mean that
secondary education would not be maintained in the local area.
Advantages
• Removes the required surplus places
• Addresses the problem of being able to afford to run the primary
schools
• Retains separate primary schooling
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North East Lincolnshire Council Directorate of Children & Family Services
Proposals to reorganise the Willows group of schools
Disadvantages
What happens next?
• Involves the closure of the existing schools but retains primary
education in the area
We are inviting your comments on the proposals set out in this
leaflet. Please send your views in writing to Barbara Hughes,
Executive Director of Children and Family Services, c/o Capital and
Assets, 43 Freeman Street, Grimsby DN32 7AU or email
[email protected]. The closing date for the receipt
of comments is Friday 22 October 2010.
• Means the loss of secondary schooling in the area
• Disruption to children during the move to the new organisation
• Children will have to move to a new school out of the area at the
end of Year 6
• May require travel arrangements and plans for some primary
aged children who attend Littlecoates
• Will need travel arrangements and plans for secondary
aged children
How can I find out more?
We are holding a public consultation event at 6:30pm on Tuesday
12 October at the Whitgift School. There will be a presentation by
the Authority (Council) to help you understand the ideas behind the
proposal and you will be able to ask questions and to state
your views.
The Council will review the options after considering the
consultation feedback. North East Lincolnshire’s Cabinet will make
the decision on whether to go ahead with either of the options or
to consult on any new options. If the decision is made to go ahead
with any options, the Authority will start statutory procedures by
publishing a public notice in the local newspaper; there will be a
further opportunity for you to comment on the proposal during the
six week period of this notice.
When would the proposed change take place?
The implementation date of both of the options set out in this leaflet
is 1 September 2012.
What will happen to the children at the affected schools if
the proposal goes ahead?
The Authority has a duty to allocate a school place for all children
in North East Lincolnshire. Therefore, all children affected by the
proposals will be offered a place in a school.
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