Responses to Consultation on Expanding Lilliput Ce Vc First School - Appendix C

RESPONSES TO CONSULTATION ON EXPANDING LILLIPUT CE VC FIRST SCHOOL

• Parent – Broadly support expansion, but temporary buildings have a habit of becoming permanent. It would be a shame to have long term temporary buildings
• Governor – I am concerned that final plans for phase 1 are not yet available. I fully support the proposal to increase numbers but find it hard to accept the protracted process, where the decision has already been taken as in this case (I refer to your comment this evening at the meeting that this is not a ballot)
• Parent – Minimal disruption!
• Parent – I can see extra places are needed but it will change the small ethos of the school and make it too big
• Parent – Unfortunate perhaps, but demand has to be met. Does this mean the catchment area will be extended to include Conifer Park as mentioned years ago? We live in Pottery Road, which is one road out of Lilliput catchment and the furthest point away from Courthill catchment. We know of three families that didn’t get into either school in our neighbourhood and this is a big concern to us as we have two more children to get to school yet
• Parent – Excellent school which, if it can, should expand
• Parent of pre-school child – Lilliput is such an excellent school, it would be shame not to offer places to as many children as possible
• Parent of a pre-school child – South Western Crescent appears to be in no man’s land, in catchment for Courthill, but closer to Lilliput. Will the catchment area change?
• Parent – It is ridiculous that so many decent parents have been deprived of places for their children at Lilliput. The school must be expanded to meet the needs of a growing population. Two of my children attend Uplands because there were no paces at Lilliput for them
• Parent – As long as the level of teaching and care is not affected. From discussions with the Council on completing forms for admissions 2009, I thought the decision had already been made. Lilliput is a lovely little school – it is a shame it has to be changed but I appreciate the number of places required in the area
• School lunchtime supervisor – Also for kitchen facilities to be provided so meals can be made on-site using school produce when available – eco-friendly school
• Parent of pre-school child - The school has the space, facilities, leadership and vision to provide education for more children. Given demographics there seems to be a requirement for more school places and therefore it makes sense to provide these in the best settings
• Parent of pre-school child – This proposal is vital, not just for Lilliput, but for this overpopulated area in general. Having failed to get my child into my catchment school (Courthill) or Lilliput, I have accepted my third choice of Longfleet. My fear now is that my other two children will not get into Longfleet in 2012 and 2013 because it is not their catchment school. A third form will ease the burden on other local schools so this proposal has positive implications for the area as a whole, not just Lilliput.
• Parent of a pre-school child – This proposal should incorporate a revision in catchment boundaries. Despite proximity to the school & our inclusion in the parish, we are not in catchment. Due to distance from Courthill, we were unable to gain a place in September 2008. This part of Lilliput/Lower Parkstone is not really covered by a school. We would question if 30 additional places will be adequate to meet demand. Finally, any increase in spaces at Lilliput should be matched by improvements to the footpaths (No. 57) linking Blakedene Road & Brownsea View Ave. surrounding the school. These are virtually impassable in wet weather with a pushchair. These improvements would encourage parents to walk children to school
• Parent - Although my older child is currently at Courthill, when the younger one starts school she will have moved to middle school. The sibling rule will therefore not apply. This year, many of the children in my area did not get into Courthill
• Parent - I support the proposal to expand Lilliput CE VC First School from 2 forms of entry (60 places) to 3 forms of entry (90 places) from September 2009 onwards to meet the need for additional school places in the Lilliput area and to support the vision for the school as set out in the consultation paper.
  Comments:
  I question whether even this will be enough, given the pressure on other schools in the area (e.g. Courthill First School also being oversubscribed by children within catchment). It would only just have been enough to cater for the crisis that occurred last year
  a) Further pressure is being exerted by more people moving into the area specifically trying to get into the "good" schools
  b)The recent news that the Poole Grammar schools will give preference to children attending State, not Private schools in the area will have knock on effects down the line, with parents choosing state primary schools in preference to private
  c) A significant number of people already have their children in private schools ONLY because they were not able to get a place in their preferred choice of their local catchment school, andmany are keento switch back
  d) The "Credit Crunch" will take away the choice that some parents have made to send their children to private school. Poole has long relied on parents in the Lilliput (and Courthill) catchment area being able to afford/choosingto send their children to private schools.This ability may be reduced
  e) The private school sector is likewise suffering from children being withdrawn for financial reasons. If they should hit financial problems themselves as a result, they may close. This could mean even more people looking to the state schools, even if they can afford private
  f) Baden-Powell and St Peters Middle School MUST also expand, just to make provision for the current numbers of children in the area. It already takes more children than its PAN from its catchment area. All the above reasons (including the increased birth rate) apply here too - when will it be confirmed that this school will be expanded?

• Parent – School hall is too small to accommodate 360 children, not enough toilets, play area inadequate. Disruption to current pupils will be substantial and I feel that the standard of the school could be at risk by increasing school intake by a third
• Head teacher of a Poole combined school – I think that an increase in Lilliput’s PAN would result in other local schools being unable to fill places
• Parent – I would prefer that the school remain 2 form of entry – maintaining high standards & personal friendly environment. Change the catchment rather than expand the entry (This parent also expressed concern over the possible loss of the ICT suite & possible works at Baden Powell resulting her child suffering disruption for an extended period)
• Parent/Governor - Utilise the capacity at other middle schools. You state that there are more children at the Heatherlands area. Why not make Branksome Heath a 5FE school. It can do it. It currently has 4 forms, but can take an extra class. Why put all the pressure on Baden Powell? This consultation should not be just about Lilliput. It will affect Baden Powell. It will become too big. It goes against your own policy that no middle school should be more than 5 forms of entry. Most people feel that this is a done deal but please listen to our concerns. Even the Head teacher at Baden Powell says that it would be too big with 6 forms of entry. Prove your residents wrong and listen to what people have to say. You do have other options like making use of Branksome Heath. Why put the pressure on schools that are successful. Would you not be better spending the money on the less successful schools like Branksome Heath so that people want to send their children there?
• Parent – We are concerned that building work will be disruptive to our children’s schooling
• Parent – I do not feel that the expansion of Lilliput can be considered in isolation. Expanding Lilliput will have a knock-on effect on Baden Powell & Baden Powell is already very large – too large. This may be just acceptable for 8-12 yr olds but with the age of transfer changing, the school will be taking 7 year olds.
• Parent – Re-open the classes that have been shut in other schools or change Courthill, Lilliput & Baden Powell into 3 separate primary schools from YR to Y6. Lilliput would be 2FE, Baden Powell 3FE and Courthill 1 or 2FE. Each school would still end up with the same or fewer children as has been planned for the future already. I do not want my children at a junior school of 640 children.
• Parent of pre-school child – Why not make Baden Powell, Courthill and Lilliput primary schools? That would give up to 7 forms of entry.
• Parent – I have heard that Parkstone Grammar School is no longer accepting applications from private schools. I imagine this will put even more pressure on Baden Powell and St Peters as people withdraw their children from private schools so that they have a chance of getting in to the grammar school(s). Adding thirty more places and putting pressure on Baden Powell is only going to be a short term solution to the volume issue;what is needed is a new school (Western Road/Beach Road car park) or restructuring the existing Baden Powell, Courthill and Lilliput sites. This would solve the volume issue and hopefully maintain academic standards
  See attached letters for additional comments
• Head and Governors of a Poole first school – see attached letter for comments

• Parent - Improve existing schools in the area, so there is a wider choice of good schools for parents to send their children to
• Expand the school, but include a pre-school. I don’t support the changes planned for 2013, I feel children of 6yrs old are too young to cope with the attitude and size of Baden Powell.

62 Austin Avenue

Poole

Dorset

BH14 8HE

12 February 2009

Nicola Keynes

Senior Eductaion Office( Planning and Development)

Children and Young People’s Service – Stragey, Quality and Improvement,

Borough of Poole

Civic Centre

Poole

BH15 2RU

Dear Ms Keynes,

I write to expand on my response to the Consultation Response Form regarding the proposal to expand Lilliput CE VC First School.

In the email to which this letter is attached I also attach a letter dated 19 May 2008 which I wrote regarding the Schools for the Future Primary Capital Programme Consultation Leaflet. My opinions have not changed since writing that letter and broadly it constitutes my comments on the Consultation Response Form regarding the proposal to expand Lilliput CE VC First School. My further comments are below.

1)I think Lilliput school can take the change but I cannot support the change without knowing how it will be handled at Baden Powel and St. Peter’s middle school.

2)I do not think that the decision for Lilliput school can be taken without having the funding assigned or plans discussed for Baden Powell and St. Peter’s middle school. Much is made in the schools of the links between Baden Powell and St. Peter’s and it’s feeder schools but now it seems to be considered that the schools can work in isolation. I am sure that when the time comes the extra children will be housed in Baden Powell but without adequate planning or funding, which at this stage is a possibility, the children will be crammed in and the education standards will fall.

3)Providing extra spaces will solve the numbers issue but as was mentioned at the public meeting, will the places be of value? One reason why Baden Powell is over subscribed is because it provides a good education. One reason why other schools are not over subscribed is because they do not. If you make Baden Powell such a large school, the chances are that standards will drop and there will be no quality middle school education available in the main Poole area.

4)There are alternative options but the council would have to pay more and plan longer, neither of which they seem to be prepared to do. I cannot believe that any one involved in this process thinks that it is a good idea for children of such a young age to go to such a large school as this change will make Baden Powell become. There are currently enough spaces across Poole to house the applications. While more long ranging, child friendly plans are made, why not improve those schools with spaces, so that parents are happy to send their children to the schools. By letting standards drop the council have taken away parents choice and everyone is clambering for the few good schools. Give people choice and the pressure will reduce. Continue to limit people’s choice and the pressure will continue.

Yours sincerely,

Julia Clemo

62 Austin Avenue

Poole

Dorset

BH14 8HE

19 May 2008

Laura Cook

Children & Young People’s Services

c/o Civic Centre

Poole

BH15 2RU

Dear Ms Cook,

I have recently read the Schools for the Future Primary Capital Programme Consultation Leaflet and attended one of the public meetings and would like to express my concerns about certain aspects of the proposals.

Overall, while I do not know some of the schools involved, I think the general idea of making already large schools larger is not a good idea.

The schools within the catchment area in which I live are Lilliput CE VC First School and Baden-Powell & St. Peter’s CE VC Middle School. I appreciate that when the school transfer ages alter, if left at the current 2 FE, Lilliput School would be a small school and would not be serving the Poole community as it could do, as it would have the potential capacity for the number of children a 3 FE.

However, Baden-Powell & St. Peter’s already has 150 children in each year which is a large amount of children for one year. To increase this to 180 children in each year must surely put a huge strain on a school which is even now physically small for the number of children it houses. Ultimately, once the school transfer age transition is complete, the school will, by my calculations, take in 720 children in total compared to 600 currently, which is a 20% increase. Where will these children be accommodated? How are standards to be maintained with such large numbers in a school which is not designed to hold those numbers? What will be the emotional effect on still young children of entering such a large school? How are the extra teachers to be accommodated? How will the after school clubs provide equal access when there are more children chasing the same number of spaces?

It is not just the changes that I am concerned about; I do not think it is right to have such large schools for that age range of children. Research has shown that children are more comfortable and achieve better both emotionally and academically when in smaller schools where they can be more nurtured.

Is there not an alternative? I appreciate that Baden-Powell & St.Peter’s is oversubscribed but when it is proposed that a nearby school (i.e. Branksome Heath Junior School) is to have its PAN reduced by the same amount that Baden-Powell & St.Peter’s is proposed to be increased, then couldn’t the catchment areas for the middle schools be altered and the existing capacity be used? I know there would be a lot of annoyed parents, but whatever changes are made are going to make a lot of parents annoyed. As there is investment money for Branksome Heath, changing the catchment areas surely would not be as much of a problem as housing extra children in a school which is further down the list investment wise? I realise that Baden-Powell & St. Peter’s has better Ofsted reports than Branksome Heath, but if these changes are not taking place until 2012/1013 then every effort could be made during that time to improve Branksome Heath and make it more attractive to parents. It did not take long for Baden-Powell & St. Peter’s to turn itself around and if it can be done in one school then can it not be done in another? Is it not better to improve existing facilities rather than put other existing facilities under strain? The risk with doing that is that rather than improving the education in the borough, the standard reduces overall. The other side of that coin, is that if, against the odds, Baden-Powell & St.Peter’s does manage to continue to receive better Ofsted reports than it’s contempories, it will still be over subscribed; at what point do you stop increasing the number of form entries? Another more sweeping thought would be: Make Baden-Powell & St. Peter’s a primary school with 3FE, make Courthill an infant school with a 3FE which feeds in to Lilliput as a junior school with a 3FE; this would make the most of the sites available and not overcrowd one particular site. I am sure that, due to facilities required, that would involve more investment which is probably not available but it would, in my opinion, make for better sized schools for the children and be a good long term option.