primary school expansion strategy st. mary’s rc primary school chair: paul ballatt – head of...
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Primary school expansion strategy
St. Mary’s RC Primary School
Chair: Paul Ballatt – Head of Commissioning, Strategy and PerformanceChildren, Schools & Families Dept.
Councillor Peter Walker Cabinet Member for EducationLondon Borough of Merton
The Challenge
• Between 2007/8 and 2013/14 there will be a growth in the number of primary school children aged 4 of 30% - 800+
3 Key factors for expansion strategy
Building on excellent education Sustainable solutions for our schools Value for money
Result of Borough wide consultation autumn 20107 Schools including St. Mary’s RC agreed to provide extra reception classes in September 2011 and consider permanent expansion
Council budget in March agreed 4-year capital sums for primary school expansion programme
Tom Procter
Manager of Contracts and School Organisation, Children, Schools & Families Dept.
Aim
• Rationale for why proposing expansion of St. Mary’s RC
• Legal process
• School’s vision for expansion
• Building feasibility and phasing strategy
Year children will enter reception
class
Corresponding
Birth figure
Rise from 2007/08
Extra classes (FE – form of
entry)
2007/08 2,612
2008/09 2,785 173 3FE
2009/10 2,893 281 3FE
2010/11 2,972 360 3FE
2011/12 3,250 638 7FE
2012/13 3,320 708 2FE
2013/14 3,419 807 3FE
Birth rate increase = additional primary school places
Why St. Mary’s?- Overall criteria in selecting schools
• Educational standards – good & outstanding schools• Parental preference - popular and over-subscribed
schools• Smaller schools expand where feasible• Location – where places most in demand• Physical constraints of existing school sites • Value for money and affordability• Balance of faith based schools
Legal process for St. Mary’s RCDecision made• Extra reception class in September 2011
This consultation on permanent expansion from September 2012
• Statutory consultation to 11 May > Consider > Publish a statutory notice > Decision > Statutory duty to implement
• Decision is after planning permission granted for building or “subject to planning permission”
Sarah Crouch Headteacher, St. Mary’s School
School vision for expansion
Better teachingopportunities
Increased senseof community
One school, One building
More resources
Places forCatholic children
More space
To be the best that we can be
What can we gain?
Facilitiese.g. ICT suite
Calm learningenvironment
The way allchildren integrate
Playgroundspace
Ethos
To be thebest thatwe can be
What we don’t want to lose.
Building project
Existing site and surrounding
Building project
Value for money for short term and long term solutions
• Short term – extra reception class
• Longer term – school gradually providing for 7 extra classes (210 pupils) from 2011/12 to 2017/18
Feasibility study – key questions
• Council building used in the short term?
• Council building used or demolished in longer term?
• Feasible to connect to existing school building?
• School improvement/value for money/affordability
Feasibility study – priorities for school
• Additional 7 classrooms
• 2nd hall/larger hall for assemblies
• Early years play
• Whole school play/PE
• Appropriate ICT facilities
• Appropriate staff facilities
Existing site close up
Phase 2 – By Sep 2012
Phase 3 – By Sep 2014
Phase 1 – ground floor of building for 2 classrooms until summer 2014 at latest
Phase 3 – Building demolished for play space by Sep 2014
Phase 1 – staff car park becomes playground
Building Expansion strategy – DRAFT feasibility layouts
Note – this is a draft indicative layout from the feasibility study – not a final layout plan
What questions do we have for the council?
• What happens if the budget is not available?• Timing-if the two classes are not ready for September, what happens? How would this
be funded?• Why are we not building two new Reception classes straight away?• How much say do we have on details and how much say do we have on bigger picture
decisions?• Can we say no?• Are there enough children?• What will the length of the building programme be?• Will the council give a guarantee to complete the chosen option?• Is there adequate funding for heating, lighting and resources?• Why are we not having a prefab classroom rather than the social services building?• Will we have foundations that can take an extra storey?• Is the social services building structurally sound?• Is it possible for parents to meet with the building team?• How are the Council going to communicate once everything starts?• Will we get to retain any budget surplus?• How will noise disruption affect children?• When will the Council decide which option to go with?• Eco friendly build? Solar panels?• What did the Council learn from expanding Holy Trinity?
Agreed reception class expansions 21 FE total - 630 extra reception places in 6 years)
Year
Forms of entry (FE) increase Schools
2008/09 3FEWimbledon Chase, Holy Trinity
and St. Thomas of Canterbury RC
2009/10 3FEBenedict, Hollymount and Joseph
Hood
2010/11 3FEBishop Gilpin CE (1 yr), Aragon
and Cranmer
2011/12 7FE
All Saints CE, Gorringe Park, Liberty, St. Marys RC, Singlegate,
William Morris and Wimbledon Park, Plus
2012/13 2FE Dundonald? & one to confirm
2013/14 3FE To confirm