The Cabinet Member for Children and Families, Lifelong learning agreed with the recommendation to determine the statutory notice published and bring into effect the formal commencement of the proposal to change the age range and extend the premises at St Paul's Church of England Infant School in Tongham.

Proposal to Change the Age Range and Extend the Premises at St Paul's Church of England Infant School, Tongham

The meeting was about a proposal to extend the age range at St Paul's Church of England Infant School to make it a through school for pupils aged 2 to 11. The school currently has 90 pupils, and if the change goes ahead the number of pupils will increase to 210, with 68 in the nursery.

An informal consultation and the statutory consultation process indicated a high level of support for the changes among stakeholders.

for the informal consultation, there was over 91% agree for the Key Stage 2 provision and the nursery, and for the statutory notices there was 92% for the Key Stage 2 and 96 for the nursery

Councillor Matt Furness, the local Divisional Member, spoke about the community benefits of extending the school through to juniors, praising the level of support for the scheme, which he said is unusually high for council consultations. He also noted that the school is in a sustainable location, with many people able to walk there, and that the provision of a new through school would be good for the community. He added that the road safety improvements outside the school that he has been wanting to implement will now be possible as a result of the decision made in the meeting.

The proposal is in line with Surrey County Council's ambition for children and young people to be educated in local schools and closer to home. The report before the Cabinet Member noted that the change would also allow for siblings to attend the same school rather than having to split up at age 7, when pupils currently move to a junior school.

The change of age range at the school will allow it to offer junior places, and the increase in junior places in the Ash and Tongham planning area will mean there are as many Year 3 places as Reception places.

The report also noted that St Paul's Infant School is currently a feeder school for Walsh CofE Junior and Waverley Abbey Junior Schools. As academies, both schools could now make the decision to reduce their PANs as a result of this decision. Walsh CofE Junior School only has four places available to pupils from other schools, because the main feeder school, Walsh Memorial Infant School, has 60 places, and the junior school only has a PAN of 64. Waverley Abbey is over four miles away from St Paul's, and St Paul's currently subsidises a school bus to take pupils to the school, at a cost of approximately £38,000 per year.

The school building will need to be extended to make it suitable for an additional 120 pupils. The report noted that a programme of building works at the school will improve the general fabric of the school buildings and enhance the learning experience for pupils, parents and staff. The work will involve adapting and refurbishing the interior of the existing accommodation, and the building of a new classroom block and school hall.

If planning permission is granted, the building work will start in the summer of 2024. The nursery provision will open on 15 April 2024, and the school will begin to provide Key Stage 2 places from September 2025. From September 2028/29 onwards, the school will be operating as a full 1FE¹ primary school.