Consultation on the Proposed Closure of St Sampson S Infant School Cricklade and Change

Consultation on the proposed closure of St Sampson’s Infant School Cricklade and change of age range of St Sampson’sCE Junior School Cricklade

Why is this consultation taking place?
Before any major decision can be made about the future of a maintained school, there has to be consultation with those people likely to be affected by the change. The purpose of this document is to consult with parents, the Cricklade community and others with an interest in the future provision of education for children from the Cricklade area. This document gives you background information and asks for your views.
Background and proposal
In June 2013 St Sampson’s Infant School was inspected by Ofsted. In the report published by Ofsted in September the Infant school was judged to be overall Inadequate and therefore to have serious weaknesses, with the following individual judgements shown as:
Achievement of pupils – Inadequate
Quality of teaching – Inadequate
Behaviour and safety of pupils – Requires improvement
Leadership and management – Requires improvement

(The Ofsted reports use a four point scale: Inadequate/Requires improvement/Good/Outstanding.)

The inspection report can be found at: copies can be obtained from the Infant school.

Following the inspection report, the Governing Body of the Infant school has kept parents up to date with details of changes and action plans. In addition, there have beenseveral meetings involving officials from the Department for Education (DfE), officers from Wiltshire Council and the Infant school Governing Body to determine the best way to secure rapid and sustained improvements in the quality of education provided.
A visit from Ofsted has confirmed that improvements have been made since the inspection in June – a letter from Ofsted is available from the Ofsted website at the same address as given above.
Discussions with DfE officials have emphasised that the Secretary of State does not, and will not, regard the current position as a viable long-term option - there will have to be a change to the way the school is governed, managed, led and run. Changes in legislation since 2010 mean that no school judged inadequate by Ofsted will be allowed to try to improve without a significant change to the way the school is run. The strong presumption at central government level is that such schools would become academies – state-funded independent schools – in effect being taken over by a multi-academy trust with the capacity to bring about the improvements needed, backed by a track record.
Recent discussions between the DfE, Wiltshire Council, The Diocese of Bristol and the Headteacher and the Governing Body of St Sampson’s Junior school have concluded that an alternative solution is viable for the Cricklade schools(i.e. in these particular circumstances):

changing the age range of the Junior school so that it covers the full primary school age range, and closing the Infant school.

If this proposal is implemented, responsibility for making the improvements required following the Ofsted inspection of the Infant school last summer wouldbecome the responsibility of the Headteacher and the Governing Body of the Junior school.
The Governing Bodies of the Infant school (on 11 December13) and of the Junior school (on 10 December 13) have both agreed that their preferred way forward is this proposal - to extend the age range of the Junior school and to close the Infant school as a separate school.
The Governing Body of the Junior school is very keen to combine and build on good teaching and learning practice from both schools – so that the foundations of the Primary school are built on the best of both existing schools.
No decisions have been taken. The rest of this document explains the proposals in more detail, answers some key questions and invites you to put forward your views.

Who is being consulted?
This document is being sent or made available to:

Parents of current pupils at both schools
Parents of children attending pre-schools within the designated area
Governors of both schools
Staff of both schools
Cricklade Children’s Centre
Other Wiltshire Council staff working with children in the Cricklade area
Cricklade Town Council
Local councillors
The local MP
The County Secretaries of the relevant unions and professional bodies
The Primary Heads Forum
The North Wiltshire Learning Trust
Heads and Chairs of Governors of nearby schools
Bristol Diocese Board of Education
Further copies are available at Cricklade Library and can be downloaded from the Wiltshire Council website at

A summary of key dates:

Consultation period: starts week beginning 13 January, closes on 21 February
Governing Body consideration and decision making: 24 February until 7 March
If a decision is taken by both governing bodies to publish notices then the notice period would be: 14 March until 25 April 2014
Decision made by Wiltshire Council Cabinetmember: within a month of the end of the notice period
Planning period for implementation of the changes: May to August 2014
Implementation date: 1 September 2014

What is the consultation process?
The consultation starts inweek beginning 13 January 2014 and closeson 21 February 2014.
You are invited to make your views known by:
Filling in and returning the response pro-forma which is the final page of this document.
Filling in a similar online form at
Coming to a meeting where you can ask questions and make your views known
Meetings have been arranged for:

Infant school staff 4.00pm27 January(this meeting will also be attended by a human resourcesofficer from Wiltshire Council)
Infant school governors 5.30pm 27 January
Infant school parents, including those who have applied for places in September 2014 6.30-8.00pm 27 January
Junior school staff 4.00pm 28 January(this meeting will also be attended by a human resources officer from Wiltshire Council)
Junior school governors 5.30 pm28 January
Junior school parents 6.30-8.00 pm 28 January
The two meetings for parents will be chaired by Julia Cramp, Associate Director of Children’s Services for Wiltshire Council. Notes will be taken at the meetings so that the views expressed are recorded and then taken into account.

What happens at the end of this consultation process?
All responses and views expressed will be collated and analysed and will be made available to the Governing Bodies of both schools during the week beginning 24 February.The information provided to the Governing Bodies will also be available as a public document. Governing Body meetings will take place in the week beginning 3 March to decide whether or not to proceed to make statutory proposals and publish public notices i.e. start the formal, legal process to implement the proposed changes.
If both Governing Bodies decide, having considered the consultation outcomes, to proceed with the proposal then the next step would be to publish a statutory notice which then gives a further six week period for anyone to make representations – for or against the proposal – before the matter is put forward for decision.
The decision maker for this proposal will be the Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Education. All cabinet member decisions are based on public documents available before the decision date. A decision on any statutory proposals would be expected within a month of the end of the statutory notice period.
Is this a re-run of the consultation that took place in 2011?
No. The circumstances now are very different. The DfE will insist that the Infant school closes and that either another school or a multi-academy trust takes over responsibility for the teaching of children aged 4-7.
What is the role and view of Wiltshire Council?
Wiltshire Council does not “run” local schools – that is the responsibility of local school governing bodies or in some places academy trusts. The Council’s role here is: to collaborate with the DfE and others to bring about a rapid and sustained improvement in the standard of education provided for local children, and to facilitate this consultation process so that the way forward can be secured without delay and uncertainty.
Wiltshire Council wants to see a solution which:

Puts the interests of the children in the Infant age range as the highest priority
Secures standards of primary age education in Cricklade which Ofsted will rate as at least “Good” in the future
Makes the process of change as smooth as possible
Continues to build on the collaboration between schools in the area in a way that supports continued school improvement
Wiltshire Council believes that the Junior school has the capacity to bring about the improvements necessary for Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 education.

What are the potential advantages of an all-through primary school?
Most primary aged children in Wiltshire are educated in all-through primary schools – it is the “norm”. Out of 199 schools in Wiltshire serving the primary age range, only 9 are Infant and 9 are Junior schools. Numbers in Infant schools range from 116 to 285. St Sampson’s Infant school is the third smallest.
The Wiltshire School Organisation Plan states that there is a case for linked but separate Infant and Junior schools only where the combined primary age pupil numbers on roll would exceed 420 pupils. The projected combined numbers of primary age pupils in Cricklade for September 2014 is 320 pupils.
In Wiltshire infant and junior school reorganisations have produced five new primary schoolssince 1997. No new infant or junior schools have opened.
Research indicates that a continuity of schooling supports the best progress and outcomes for a child’s education and a primary school minimises the impact a transfer of school can have on their education.
Do the DfE and Wilshire Council believe that the Junior school has the capacity to bring about the improvements needed at Key Stage 1 and Foundation Stage?
The Junior School was judged by Ofsted in March 2011 as a good school. Since that Ofsted report, data indicating pupil progress has been more variable, but now confirms that good progress is made by pupils at the school. The Junior school has a stable and dedicated staff with strong leadership that, combining with the improving and effective elements of the Infant school, will ensure that the improvements that have been made since the Infant OfSTED inspection are further embedded and built upon. The Headteacher of the Junior school has been working on behalf of Wiltshire Council with the Infant school as part of the support plan to bring about the necessary rapid improvements and is therefore very much aware of the actions that need to be made to improve education for Foundation and Key Stage 1 pupils as quickly as possible.
What are the revenue budget implications of the proposed change?
Funding for running schools (paying staff, energy costs etc) is allocated by a formula set by central government, with the biggest part of any school’s funding being based on the number of pupils. Schools also receive some funding as a lump sum, allocated to each separate school. The current Infant and Junior school each receive a lump sum payment (projected to be £85,000 per school) whereas a Primary will receive only one such lump sum. The reduction in this lump sum element of funding would be phased in over two years, and needs to be seen in the context of the expected lower costs of a single management and staff structure.
Will there be money for some building alterations or additions?
Wiltshire Council will make available funding to allow for some building works that would help the site and buildings to work as one school rather than as separate schools. Previous studies have looked at revised entrance arrangements and an extended staff room and these will be re-examined, updated and funds allocated.
What would be the effect on the school staff?
The Junior School Governing Body will develop an appropriate staff structure for the proposed Primary School.
The staff of both the Infant School and Junior School and the Recognised Trade Unions will be consulted about the proposed structure in formal collective consultation and individual consultation meetings.
Would the primary school be a Church of England Voluntary Controlled school like the Junior school?
Yes. A change of age range of the Junior school, to include Key Stage 1 and Foundation Stage children, would not change anything else about the school category or ethos.
Who owns the Infant School site and what would happen to it if the school closes?
Prior to September 2013 the Infant school was a community school and the site was owned by Wiltshire Council. In September 2013 the infant school became a foundation school as a member of the North Wiltshire LearningTrust (NWLT), a cooperative trust that links together all the local schools. In the event of closure of the Infant school the land would become part of a voluntary controlled school site, where the presumption is that the ownership would be transferred to the Bristol Diocese Board of Education as trustees.
Who would be on the Primary School Governing Body?
The normal rules for a voluntary controlled school Governing Body would apply, including the appointment of up to 25% Church-nominated governors,together withelected parent governors. Both the Infant and Junior school Governing Bodies have agreed to closer collaborative working by co-opting a small number of Governors from one Governing Body onto the other. This arrangement would continue if an eventual change to a single primary school is agreed and would ensure a smooth transition. There would not be a new or “shadow” governing body.
After September 2014 the primary school governing body would elect parent governors and co-opt other governors in the usual way.
Would there be changes to the school name, uniform, provision of meals,start and finish times or holiday dates?
Arrangements for school meals would be likely to continue unchanged in the short-term. The uniform will remain the same. Start and finish times would be likely to continue unchanged. Holiday dates would be the same as for other Wiltshire schools.
The name of the proposed primary school would be St Sampson’s CE Primary School.
Admissions and projected numbers
At present the Infant school as a foundation school is able to set its own admissions policy, but for 2014 entry it has followed the standard Wiltshire Council policy. As a voluntary controlled school the Junior school follows the same Wiltshire Council policy too, so there would be no change.
The most recent projections available for September 2014 indicate 144 pupils at the Infant school and 174 pupils at the Junior school. These projections were produced in early 2013 – if more up to date projections become available during the consultation period they will be made available at the meetings.

What is the role and view of the Bristol Diocese Board of Education?
The Diocese of Bristol has been involved in discussions about the proposed changes to Primary School provision in Cricklade. It fully supports the proposal to alter the age range of Cricklade Church of England Junior School in order to create a Cricklade Church of England Primary School. The Diocesan School Improvement Officers will work with the staff of the combined school to continue to raise the quality of education provision in future.
The Academy option in more detail
Following an “inadequate” Ofsted judgement the standard expectation of the Secretary of State would be for the school to close and then re-open as a sponsored academy. This process would be run by the DfE using a“broker” for matching underperforming schools with potential sponsors. A potential sponsor for the school would be identified by the DfE as the best match and then the Governing Body would sign a specific agreement to transfer the school to this sponsor. The agreed sponsor would then run a consultation process to close the school and reopen as the new sponsored academy. The sponsor would seek views on a new name for the school and possible new uniform to mark the transition to a fresh start and new school. The new academy and sponsor would be funded directly by the DfE and held to account for its overall performance by the Secretary of State.
Key differences between the closure/change of age range proposal and the closure/sponsored academy route:
In the closure/sponsored academy route the Infant and Junior schools would remain separate schools and would need to manage the transition of pupils from one school to the other, as at present.
In the closure/sponsored academy route the Infant school would follow policies set by the academy sponsor – policies would cover all aspects of school life, including school name, uniform, meals, homework etc
In the closure/sponsored academy route the academy would set the admissions policy and make decisions on admissions.
Are there any other options which have been or should be considered?
Given the Ofsted verdict, no other options have been identified by the DfE, Wiltshire Council, the Bristol DBE or the governing bodies of the two schoolsthat would satisfy the Secretary of State’s requirements.

Carolyn Godfrey Director of Children’s Services Wiltshire Council