Purpose

The Head teacher and governors at Whittlefield Community Primary School have approached the local authority in relation to the future of the nursery provision at the school. The school has asked the local authority to start the formal statutory process to consult on the proposal to cease the maintained nursery provision by permanently reducing the age range from 3–11-year-olds (Nursery 2 to Year 6) to 4–11-year-olds (Reception to Year 6), with effect from 31 December 2024.

Under The School Organisation (Prescribed Alterations to Maintained Schools) (England) Regulations 2013 and the Department for Education's statutory guidance, 'Making 'Prescribed Alterations' to Maintained Schools' published in January 2023, the local authority must be the proposer for this type of significant change and carry out a statutory process, which includes publication, representation, decision, rights of appeal and implementation. In line with this, the authority is now required to decide whether to publish a Statutory Notice on the proposal to consult on the future of the maintained nursery provision at Whittlefield Community Primary School, Burnley.

Decision

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.