PRIMARY REVIEW: DEVELOPING THE COUNCIL’S APPROACH

COUNCILLOR BRENDA THOMPSON

EXECUTIVE MEMBER FOR CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND LEARNING

JAN DOUGLAS

INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND LEARNING

DATE: 31st AUGUST 2007

PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

  1. To seek approval to commence initial consultation on a town-wide review of primary school provision and the preparation of a “Primary Strategy for Change”.

BACKGROUND AND EXTERNAL CONSULTATION

Middlesbrough Context

  1. There are 43 primary and special schools catering for primary aged children in Middlesbrough. This excludes ‘all age’ special schools, which are included in Middlesbrough’s Building Schools for the Future programme. Eleven of the primary schools are Voluntary Aided (VA) Roman Catholic schools. Attached at Appendix 1 is a map showing the location of community primary schools and at Appendix 2 the Roman Catholic (RC) Primary schools. The maps show the location of schools and their catchment areas.

3.Eleven primary schools have surplus places in excess of 25%, a level regarded as high by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).

4.Although birth rates within the town have declined over a long period of time, these are now projected to rise slightly. Over the next two years the numbers of pupils within primary schools are projected to reduce to a low of 11,361 pupils, but thereafter, will increase slowly to a peak of 11,590 in September 2013. A significant factor in the spread and size of the primary school population is any changes to the housing stock across Middlesbrough. The impact of regeneration initiatives on the projected primary school age population will continue to be monitored, including the availability of different house types.

5.Undertaking a review of primary provision is identified as a priority within the Middlesbrough School Organisation Plan and the Children, Families and Learning (CFL) Service Plan for 2007/2008. A town-wide review of primary provision is required for a number of reasons:

  • To maximise opportunities to raise standards and reduce the attainment gap across all primary schools within Middlesbrough;
  • To provide good quality teaching and learning environments for primary pupils, teachers and the community;
  • To address major issues relating to condition, suitability (including accessibility) and sufficiency across the primary estate;
  • To reduce the number of surplus places to a more acceptable level;
  • To provide a pattern of school provision more suited to the current demographic profile and communities across the town and one which is capable of changing to meet future demand;
  • To contribute to area and neighbourhood regeneration;
  • To improve the sustainability of schools;
  • To secure improved value for money with regard to the targeting of scarce capital resources and revenue financing for primary schools and;
  • To reduce the resources spent on building and administrative overheads across the primary school sector.

National Context

6.There will be a national requirement to prepare strategic plans for investment in primary provision by March 2008 to enable the authority to access DCSF Primary Capital Programme resources. This programme will provide funding to authorities to improve the primary school stock over a 15-year period beginning in 2009/10. Funding is expected to be spread evenly over the period.

7.DCSF is currently working with pilot authorities prior to issuing formal guidance on accessing the Primary Capital Programme. The submission requirements are likely to include the development of a ‘Primary Strategy for Change’ by each authority. The final guidance is expected in October 2007.

8.DCSF regard the Primary Capital Programme as reinforcing the strategic role of the local authority as ‘Commissioner of Schools’, reflecting local needs and contributing to national and local priorities. The Middlesbrough Primary Review will therefore need to give consideration to national priorities. DCSF have identified the following priorities for the Primary Strategy for Change:

  • Raising standards, including narrowing the gap;
  • Bringing in new school providers to raise standards;
  • Responding to parental demand, for example expanding popular schools;
  • Implementing robust solutions for poorly performing schools, for example through Trust status, all-age academies or closure;
  • Removing excess surplus places through closures or hard federations and;
  • Supporting Every Child Matters (ECM) outcomes.

9.To date, DCSF have identified 4 core elements of the Primary Strategy for Change:

1.Baseline Analysis: An assessment of the starting position, based on analysis of information on places, building condition, educational performance, deprivation and extended services;

2.Long Term Aims: An LA vision of what primary education will look like after up to 15 years of capital investment;

3.Approach to change – How a LA will move from baseline to achieve the long-term aims. Highlighting local challenges and priorities, the approach to planning and prioritisation, capacity building, design, ICT and procurement and;

  1. Initial investment priorities – details of initial projects and how these contribute to long term aims.

10.The authority’s plans will be assessed by the School’s Commissioner and DCSF and the approval process will be finalised later in the year. It is anticipated that local authorities will be notified by DCSF of the outcome of assessments of their strategic plans in July/August 2008 and that capital funding will be available from April 2009.

Key Strategic Issues

11.A range of key issues will need to be addressed in taking forward the Middlesbrough Primary Review including:

  • The LA role as ‘Commissioners of Schools’ (under the Education and Inspection Act 2006), including the implications with regard to Trust Schools, Federations, School Competition and the model for diversity of providers;
  • Potential models for primary provision and the approach to inclusion of SEN provision in mainstream schools;
  • The new flexible entitlement to early years education;
  • The potential for investment in RC schools given a requirement to locally fund 10% of capital costs;
  • Sustainable transport, school travel plans and SEN arrangements with regard to travel;
  • Opportunities for extended schools and community access to school facilities;
  • Community cohesion, regeneration, neighbourhood renewal and the localism agenda and;
  • Environmental sustainability, including reducing carbon emissions and the impact of climate change.

12.Consideration of these issues will inform the approach to the review including developing review criteria. The approach and review criteria will be the subject of consultation with stakeholders during Autumn 2007. It is anticipated that the outcome of the consultation process and subsequent option appraisals with regard to priority projects will be informed by the DCSF guidance for Primary Strategy for Change expected during October 2007. Future reports on the review of primary provision and the Primary Strategy for Change will consider the approach in more detail.

Initial Consultation Process

13.Preparatory work has commenced on the Middlesbrough Primary Review. A Project Brief has been prepared and an information gathering exercise is underway. The Project Brief provides the basis for a consultation process with a range of internal and external stakeholders to inform the development and delivery of the proposals for school re-organisation and capital investment.

14.Key stakeholders have been identified as follows:

  • Pupils and parents/carers;
  • School Governors, Headteachers and school staff;
  • Other Council Services including Regeneration Strategic Resources and Environment;
  • Primary headteachers forum;
  • Primary Improvement Partnership;
  • RC Middlesbrough Diocese representatives;
  • Partner agencies such as Erimus, Primary Care Trust (PCT) and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC);
  • Local Strategic Partnership (LSP);
  • Scrutiny
  • Ward Members;
  • Community Councils;
  • Voluntary and community groups;
  • Sport England, Northern Arts, North East Museums, Libraries and Archives Council) NEMLAC and other regional bodies and;
  • DCSF.

15.Prior to consultation with all key stakeholders it is proposed that an initial period of consultation will take place with schools and other partners in Autumn 2007. As part of the consultation process, views would be sought on the approach to the review process, the criteria to be used and the development of a Middlesbrough Primary Strategy for Change. Views would also be sought on the approach to the review in terms of geographical coverage and how the review could be rolled out over time.

OPTION APPRAISAL/RISK ASSESSMENT

16.A series of options for the overall approach to the Primary Review and Primary Capital Programme.

17.Option 1 – Do nothing

This option does not address the issues identified. In particular, surplus places would continue to increase with a detrimental effect on standards in the longer term due to reduced value for money. Significant investment opportunities would be missed.

18.Option 2 - Single large-scale re-organisation

This option would require significant short-term capital funding to implement, which may not be available given the 15- year timescale of the Primary Capital Programme. In addition, to undertake a single large-scale re-organisation would require significant revenue resources to establish a sizeable project team dedicated to this work.


19.Option 3 - Rolling Programme of 4 geographic Area Reviews across the town

This option would not provide a solution across the town within the short to medium term timescale to guide investment. Standards and condition/ suitability issues may not be addressed in significant parts of the town until later in the review programme, and may be outside of the timescales determined by DCSF.

20.Option 4 – Town-wide strategic approach to identify priorities for rolling programme of reviews for improvement or action (at a neighbourhood level)

This approach would seek to take a broad overview, with schools banded as follows:

  • priority for review within 5 years
  • consider review within medium term or as part of a solution on a wider basis (up to 10 years)
  • secure within the medium to long term (10 – 15 years).

This option is more achievable given the likely level of capital and revenue funding available and available staffing capacity. There is, however, a risk that the authority may not be able to achieve development of all proposals within the timescale set by DCSF as the level of detail required is unknown at present.

21.It is proposed that initial consultation proceeds on the basis of Option 4 being the preferred overall approach for the Council. The consultation process will address the principles underpinning the review process, the strategic issues, the criteria for the review, the options for the overall approach and the development of the Primary Strategy for Change.

22.Once the initial consultation process has taken place, a full risk assessment will be undertaken. An initial risk log has been established and this will inform the process. Three key risk areas relate to:

  • Managing stakeholder expectations given the likely level of available funding and;
  • School competitions being a new process and the role of the Schools Adjudicator being relatively untested and;
  • Potential Impact on attainment levels.

FINANCIAL, LEGAL AND WARD IMPLICATIONS

23.Financial – In July 2007, Executive approved the re-profiling of the resources associated with the former East Middlesbrough proposals within the Medium Term Financial Plan to support the implementation of the town-wide Primary Review. It is assumed that £2 million per annum will be secured through the DCSF Primary Capital Programme. This figure may be higher given the relatively high levels of deprivation across the town. The actual allocation will be confirmed once the Comprehensive Spending Review outcome is known later in the year. No indication has yet been given about the level of future modernisation supported capital allocations, which will continue alongside the Primary Capital Programme.

24.Any capital funding from DCSF through the Primary Capital Programme is expected to be augmented with other local funding streams, with the authority having responsibility for ‘joining-up’ funding sources. DCSF have advised that funding provided though the Primary Capital Programme will be Grant, or Supported Borrowing or a mix of the two. There is no PFI element. Further details are expected to be available later in the year.

25.It is not anticipated that there will be any additional revenue funding to support project/programme management. The DCSF expects local authorities to resource the development of the ‘Primary Strategy for Change’.

26.Voluntary Aided (VA) schools will be expected to make the usual 10% contribution to the costs of any scheme. There will be no exemption from this as there has been with Building Schools for the Future. This will have implications for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough in terms of affordability.

27.Although the additional resources are to be welcomed, it should be noted that a new school (such as the one originally proposed for East Middlesbrough with 630 places), could cost the equivalent of 4 to 5 years allocations from the Government’s Primary Capital Programme, if current estimates are accurate. Given the level of funding available from this source, it is unlikely that the programme will result in many new buildings to replace existing primary provision across the town. It is more likely that there will be few, if any, new builds with a number of refurbished or remodelled schools.

28.Ward Implications – The review will consider all primary schools across the town. However, not all schools will be identified for either improvement or action as a result of the review. Full consultation will be undertaken with Ward members, staff, parents, and governors on any changes to individual schools.

29.Legal Implications –The Education and Inspections Act 2006 regards local authorities as commissioners rather than providers of education and has made provision for school competitions to be held wherever there is an intention to open a new school (i.e. a school with new governing body) following the closure(s) of existing school(s). Once the local authority has decided on the need for a new school, it is required to promote a school competition. School competitions invite organisations to bring forward their own proposals for a school, based on the local authority’s specification of requirements.

  1. The new Act places the local authority as decision-maker in the process as School Organisation Committees were abolished on 25 May 2007. Local authorities can publish their own proposals through the competition process, but if they do so, they must relinquish their position as the decision-maker. This role is then transferred to the Schools Adjudicator. In effect, the Government sees local authorities as the “provider of last resort” and makes the establishment of new community schools the exception.


SCRUTINY CONSULTATION

31.The Children and Learning Scrutiny Panel considered Primary Review during the latter part of 2005. The Overview and Scrutiny Board considered the recommendations of the panel on 28 February 2006. Children, Families and Learning Officers will take forward recommendations that related to consultation arrangements within the primary review process. Scrutiny Panel will be consulted during the initial consultation phase.

RECOMMENDATIONS

33.It is recommended that the Executive approve the proposal to commence initial consultation on a town-wide review of primary school provision and the preparation of a Primary Strategy for Change.

REASONS

34.The need to review primary school provision is identified as a priority in the Middlesbrough School Organisation Plan and the CFL Service Plan for 2007/2008.

35.Funding through the Government’s Primary Capital Programme is likely to be linked to the production of a Primary Strategy for Change and will enable a longer-term strategic approach to planning primary school provision and the improvement of the primary school stock.

BACKGROUND PAPERS

36.The following background papers were used in the preparation of this report:

  • Middlesbrough School Organisation Plan “Review of Primary Provision Across

Middlesbrough to Establish Priorities for Action”, 2 December 2003

  • Every Child Matters: Primary Capital Programme – Building Schools at the

Heart of the Community, March 2006

  • Primary Capital Programme: DfES Funding for Primary Schools, Report to Executive Member for Education and Skills, 16 June 2006
  • CFL Service Plan2007/2008
  • Report to Executive 16 June 2006
  • Primary Capital Programme Conference, DfES Briefing session presentation slides, 13 June 2007, London and regional meeting Leeds June 2007
  • East Middlesbrough Primary Review, Report to Executive 24 July 2007
  • Tees Valley Joint Strategy Unit, Primary Pupil Projections for Middlesbrough, Spring 2007 JSU07/10 June 2007

AUTHOR:Deborah Miller/Terry Sutcliffe

TEL NO:01642 728722

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Address: Vancouver House, PO Box 69, Gurney Street, Middlesbrough, TS1 1EL

Website:

Community Primary Admission Zones Appendix 1

R.C. Admission ZoneAppendix 2