Cabinet to discuss proposals on education in Shropshire

Shropshire Council’s Cabinet is to discuss details of the recent statutory consultation on proposed changes to education in Shropshire and decide on whether to proceed with each proposal. 

On Wednesday 20 July 2011, Cabinet will consider representations made during the consultation, which ran from 16 May to 24 June, and make the final decision on proposals to close four primary schools and extend the age range of one infant school. 

The six-week statutory consultation period of representations follows consultation which has taken place on an unprecedented scale to look at the future of education in the county. This began with the development of a new education vision and school organisation policy as recommended by an Independent Policy Commission, chaired by Neil Kinghan. 

It is recommended that Cabinet, next week, agrees to move to close Barrow, Hopton Wafers and Maesbury primary schools and extend the age range of Buntingsdale Infant School. 

It is also recommended to agree to close Shawbury Primary School, to create a single primary school for the village, with further work taking place with Shawbury primary and St Mary’s primary to decide on the site of the consolidated school.  

Cabinet will be asked not to close Stiperstones Primary School, as proposed at an earlier stage, but to give the school the opportunity to progress a proposal for federation.  This new development comes after the council received a business case for the school to federate with Chirbury Primary School. 

In addition, Cabinet will consider proposals deferred at a meeting on 4 May 2011.  As part of these, councillors will be asked to approve a recommendation to proceed to publish formal proposals to close Ifton Heath Primary School and extend the age range of Rhyn Park School and Performing Arts College to include the primary age range.  This had been deferred for further discussion and work to be carried out, including looking at the details of how an all-through school would work. 

On 4 May, Cabinet also deferred decisions to proceed to statutory consultation on proposals to close Onny and Lydbury North primary schools so that they could put together a business case for federation.  The report for next week’s meeting recommends not to proceed to statutory consultation but to give them the opportunity to progress their proposal for federation. 

Councillor Aggie Caesar-Homden, Cabinet member for schools, said:

“We understand that this is a challenging time for schools affected by the proposals and their communities.

“We, as a Cabinet, have very difficult decisions ahead of us.  However, we have not arrived at this stage without careful consideration of all the issues and options – consultation has taken place on an extensive scale.

“We have worked alongside schools and their communities for more than a year to look at the challenges facing our schools and ways to address these. 

“From the beginning schools, parents, governors, pupils, the diocese, town and parish councils and wider communities have been invited to bring forward their own solutions.  This has continued throughout the process with people being urged to come up with viable, long term alternatives to the proposals, which still ensure we can provide excellent education for all our children. 

“Where this has happened we have listened, and this can be seen in deferring decisions and the recommendations to proceed further with alternative proposals to closure which have been put forward. 

“At Cabinet next week, we will carefully consider the representations received during statutory consultation and the recommendations of the corporate director of people’s services.” 

The public notice relating to Wakeman School and Arts College in Shrewsbury has been re-published, initiating another six-week statutory consultation period, which takes place until 12 August 2011.  During this time people are invited to submit representations in favour of, or opposing, the proposal to close this school.  The results of statutory consultation and the decision on whether to proceed with this proposal will go to a Cabinet meeting on 7 September 2011. 

If the decision is taken by Cabinet to close any primary schools, this would take place in August 2012. 

Cabinet will also receive an update on progress made by schools recommended for federation and the next steps to develop these plans further. 

For further information and Cabinet reports please visit the website shropshire.gov.uk/educationforshropshire