Purpose

Proposed
decision:
 
The Cabinet Member for
Education and Skills to agree to permanently expand  the age range of the Blean Primary School
from 4-11 years to 3-11 years to establish a school run pre-school
provision
 
 
Reason for the
decision
As Blean Primary School is a community school,
the decision maker is the Local Authority and requires a statutory
process to lower the age range of the school. The proposal to lower
the age range requires a public notice.
 
Background
In Spring 2023, the Government announced its
ambition of extending the free entitlements to younger children in
three phases. Phase one implemented in April 2024, saw children of
working parents entitled to 15 hours of funding the term after they
turned two. In September 2024, phase two will extend this offer to
working parents of those children aged 9 months plus and then in
September 2025, phase three will see the working parent entitlement
extending to 30 hours for all eligible children.
 
Blean Primary School currently provides early
years education for children who turn five when in the Reception
class. The school have proposed to lower the age range from 4-11 to
3-11 years to provide a pre-school provision at the school.
 
The proposed pre-school provision at Blean
Primary School will be to for up to 26 children and will be
accommodated in a spare classroom within the school, adjacent to
the reception classes.
 
Blean Primary School was judged
“Outstanding” by Ofsted in March 2022. The Local
Authority is confident that the strong and effective leadership of
the school has the capacity to establish a successful pre-school
provision, ensuring there will be additional pre-school places
available for local families.
 
Securing
Kent’s Future
 
The 'Securing Kent's Future' strategy outlines
the measures that KCC intend to take to ensure that Kent remains
financially stable, now and long into the future.  It describes the statutory priorities, one of
which being the statutory duty to ensure sufficient school places
are available to any child or young person who requires
one.  This duty applies to Special
Educational Needs (SEN) provision, as well as mainstream
settings.
 
This proposal is necessary for KCC to continue
to deliver the statutory duty, in a cost-effective way, in line
with the guidelines described in the Securing Kent's Future
strategy. It will help to maintain KCC’s strategic role in
supporting schools in Kent to deliver accessible, high quality
education provision for all families.
 
Framing Kent’s
Future – Our Council Strategy 2022-2026
 
This proposal will help to support Framing
Kent’s Future – Our Council Strategy (2022-2026)
Priority 1 - Levelling up. ‘To maintain KCC’s strategic
role in supporting schools in Kent to deliver accessible, high
quality education provision for all families.’
 
Financial
Implications
 
Capital
The school will be responsible for any capital
costs which are required for the refurbishment of the classroom and
outdoor space. The government has made available to schools the
School-Based Nurseries Capital Grant 2024 to 2025. Through this
grant, schools can bid for up to £150,000 of capital funding
to create or expand school-based nursery provision by using surplus
space in primary-phase school buildings. Blean Primary School
intends to bid for this grant funding for the creation of the
pre-school at their school.
 
Revenue
The school will be responsible for
establishing the nursery and responsible for all revenue costs
associated with the running of the provision. The school will also
be responsible for appointing staff as required. The school will
receive income for nursery places either from parental
contributions or funding for the provision of free entitlements to
eligible children (administered by KCC and fully funded by an
external grant from the Department of Education).
 
 
Legal
Implications
KCC, as the Local Authority (LA), has a
statutory duty to ensure sufficient school places are
available.  This duty applies to Special
Educational Needs (SEN) provision, as well as mainstream
settings.
 
The County Council’s Commissioning Plan
for Education Provision in Kent 2024 - 28 is a five-year rolling
plan which is updated annually.  It sets
out KCC’s future plans as Strategic Commissioner of Education
Provision across all types and phases of education in Kent. It also
sets out how we will carry out our responsibility for early
education and childcare. Early Education and Childcare is
legislatively governed by the Childcare Acts of 2006 and 2016.
These place a duty on all local authorities to improve outcomes for
young children, to cut inequalities between them, to secure
sufficient childcare, with adequate flexibility to allow parents to
work.
 

https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/education-provision/education-provision-plan
 
Statutory Guidance on the changing of age
range of a maintained school can be found in the Making significant
changes (‘prescribed alterations’) to maintained
schools Statutory guidance for proposers and decision makers
October 2024 This guidance primarily relates to The School
Organisation (Prescribed Alterations to Maintained Schools)
(England) Regulations 2013.
 
A statutory process is required to lower the
age range, which consists of an initial informal consultation
period of 4 weeks. Any objections will be considered by the Cabinet
Member in advance of taking a decision to issue the Public Notice.
Should significant objections, not already considered by the
Cabinet Member when taking this decision, be received during the
notice period, a separate decision may be required dependent on the
level of modification required in order to continue the proposal
and allow for proper consideration of the points raised.
 
School organisation:
local-authority-maintained schools - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
 
 

Decision

As Cabinet Member
for Education and Skills, I agree to:
 

Agree to Issue a Public Notice to permanently change the age
range of the Blean Primary School from 4-11 years to 3-11
years to establish a school run pre-school provision, and following
a representation period of four weeks with no substantive
objections received, implement the decision.
Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Children, Young
People and Education to Issue a Public Notice.
Delegate authority for the Corporate Director of Children, Young
People and Education in consultation with the Cabinet Member for
Education and Skills to make minor revisions as required to the
proposal following a representation period of four
weeks.
Delegate authority for the Corporate Director of Children, Young
People and Education, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for
Education and Skills to

take relevant actions including but not limited to
entering into relevant contracts or other legal agreements as
required, to implement the decision, subject to no new substantive
objections received during the notice period.