Decision Maker:

Outcome: Recommendations Approved

Is Key Decision?: No

Is Callable In?: No

Date of Decision: January 27, 2025

Purpose:

Content: RESOLVED:   1.  The outcomes of the informal stage of consultation and Equality Impact Analysis provided as Appendix 1 were considered.   2.  Whether to publish a statutory notice and proposal for the closure of Oldhill Primary School and the amalgamation (merger) of its student body with Harrington Hill Primary School was considered;   3.  Proceeding to the next stage of the statutory process by publishing the Notice in order to initiate the statutory representation period to run from Thursday 6 February to Wednesday 5 March 2025, was agreed.   4.  The further linked proposals were noted: to reprovision the Oldhill Autism additional resourced provision at Harrington Hill Primary School, by adding the same specialist provision there; and to enlarge Harrington Hill Primary School by increasing its published admission number (PAN) to accommodate pupils displaced from Oldhill Primary School to take effect from 1 September 2025.   REASONS FOR DECISION   The recommendations are made in order to determine the Council’s response to the consultation proposals as follows:   ·  Closure of Oldhill Primary School on 31 August 2025 and amalgamation (merger) of its student body with nearby Harrington Hill Primary School. The Published Admission Number (PAN) for Harrington Hill Primary School would be increased to accommodate the displaced pupils from both schools. and special educational resource provision added to Harrington Hill.   Prior to determination of the initial proposals and following the response to the public consultation, alternatives were explored to support a sustainable Oldhill Primary School. These were discussed with the School Governing Body in a series of meetings and or communications between 10 September 2024 and 6 January 2025. None of these alternatives are considered by the Council to be viable.   The reasons and the rationale for the recommendation of the proposed merger and the alternatives considered are set out in Appendix 2.    These recommendations are made in accordance with:   ·  Department for Education Statutory Guidance ‘Opening and closing maintained schools’ (Oct 2024), which outlines the options for amalgamations when undertaking school organisation changes to two or more existing maintained schools, and ·  Department for Education Statutory Guidance ‘Making significant changes (‘prescribed alterations’) to maintained schools’ (Oct 2024), which outlines the process for significant changes to an existing maintained school.   This proposal would mean the closure of Oldhill Primary School and the amalgamation (merger) of its student body with nearby Harrington Hill Primary School at the end of the 2024/25 school year (ie. 31 August 2025).  Harrington Hill would retain its original school DfE registration number as it is not a new school.   A separate linked proposal has been developed to increase the PAN and add an equivalent Additional Resource Provision for autistic children to Harrington Hill Primary School,  in order to secure the continuity of the existing additional resource provision currently made at Oldhill.  These places will be available to the displaced children from Oldhill Primary School and other children. These changes would take place from 1 September 2025.  A further report will be presented for consideration by the Mayor and Cabinet to ensure that the required statutory process is followed.   DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED   Cabinet could decide not to proceed to the next stage of statutory consultation, in which case the Council would not be able to proceed with the closure proposal for Oldhill Primary School. The Council would then have to decide on how the school’s increasing budget deficit would be funded beyond the 2024/25 school year, given that it is not financially viable and is most unlikely to see a sufficient increase in its pupil numbers for the situation to change in the foreseeable future.   Cabinet could decide to delay its decision on proceeding to the next stage of statutory consultation, but this would mean that the school’s financial position would be very likely to worsen, further impacting on the quality of education for its current pupils and leaving an even bigger budget deficit, should the school close later than the proposed date of 31 August 2025.  Officers are convinced that any delay would not be in the best interests of educational provision in the area.