Minutes:
Helen Barre, Service Manager for School Admissions, Organisation and SEN Assessment, gave an update on the current position with regard to school organisation and confirmed that a meeting had taken place on the 17th May, 2012, with Cabinet and the Strategic Leadership Team on how best to respond to the demand for school places across the borough arising from the high birth rate for the KS1 entrants for September, 2012.
This was the first time that services had come together collectively to look at the issues facing the borough. It had been noted by the meeting that parents seeking a primary school place for their child(ren) had in the main been given their first choice of school and the difficulty had arisen when seeking preference for schools which were not in the catchment area of where a child lived.
(Mrs. I. Hartley had to leave this point and Mr. G. Lancashire assumed the Chair)
It was, therefore, proposed that further meetings take place to consider birth rate statistics, housing developments and planning sites with a view to pulling a long term plan together.
A further meeting with the Cabinet and the Strategic Leadership Team was scheduled for Thursday, 19th July, 2012, to consider proposals on meeting need and to ensure that the position was not replicated in the future.
The Forum were informed that there had only been a couple of schools where children in the catchment area had not been given their catchment school, these being Flanderwell and Rawmarsh Ashwood.
Discussion ensued on the gaps in demand, whether parental preference for more popular schools had had a bearing and if appropriate Section 106 monies had been used for education whether the demand would not have been so great where housing had expanded in some areas.
Clarification was provided on the current policy for children who had been allocated schools out of catchment and the opportunities that could be afforded parents to apply for support with transport.
Further information was also provided on the expansions of places in certain areas. These included:-
· Bramley Grange – increase from a published admission number of 40 to 45 with effect from 2013/14 onwards.
· Catcliffe Primary – increase from a published admission number of 25 to 30 formally from 2014/15, but with increases during 2013/14.
· Bramley Sunnyside Infant and Junior - increase from a published admission number of 80 to 90 formally from 2014/15, but with increases during 2013/14.
· Kilnhurst Primary - increase from a published admission number of 28 to 30.
· Treeton C. of E. - increase from a published admission number of 37 to 45 increasing the F2 cohort with a modular build – formally from 2013/14.
· Flanderwell - increase from a published admission number of 30 to 45 from this September and formally from 2013/14 with school expansion.
· Aston Hall Junior and Infant – pre-consultation stage to increase from 30 to 45, but with a temporary classroom for Foundation Stage 2 in September, 2012.
· Maltby Hall Junior and Infant – amalgamation approved with places being taken from September, 2013/14.
Whilst it was acknowledged that the demand on places was particularly great in the Whiston, Central Rotherham, Wath, Rawmarsh, Kimberworth, Swinton Wickersley, Flanderwell and Bramley areas, there were sufficient spaces across the borough for all Foundation Stage 2 children.
The Forum recognised the importance of looking forward to ensure that there were the places to meet demand into the future. There needed to be further work with Early Years to ensure that parents were fully aware that attendance at a Foundation Unit did not guarantee a place in Reception/Foundation Stage 2 at certain schools as this had compounded demand.
The Chair who was also an Appeals Panelist wished to formally place on record thanks and appreciation to the staff involved in the admissions/appeals process in the Departments of Legal and Democratic Services and Children and Young People’s Services, who had had to deal with a significant increase in work, undertaken without complaint, under very stressful circumstances.
Agreed:- That the relevant Departments be thanked accordingly.