Decision details

To consider a report of the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Learning seeking approval to determination of Wordsworth Infant School’s proposal to expand from a 1 FE Infant to a 3 FE Primary School. 

Wordsworth Infant School has consulted on proposals to expand from a 2FE Infant to a 3FE Primary from September 2012.  This expansion is required to accommodate an increase in the number of children needing primary school places and to balance the number of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 places available in the Shirley area.  As it is a foundation school the Governing body has carried out their own pre-statutory and statutory consultation and are now asking the City Council, subject to the final outcome of that consultation, to determine and approve the implementation of this proposals. 

(i)  To consider and take into account the outcome of statutory consultation as set out in Appendix 1.

(ii)  To approve the implementation of the enlargement of Wordsworth Infant School from a 2FE Infant to a 3FE primary from 1 September 2012.  This will be achieved by admitting 30 extra children to year R from 1 September 2012 and in subsequent years.  The school will change from an infant school to become an all through primary school by changing the age range of pupils to be admitted from 4-7 year olds to 4-11 year olds.  In order to achieve the change of age range the school will expand.  Up to 90 pupils will be permitted to transfer from Year 2 (age 6) to Year 3 (age 7) or be admitted as casual vacancies to Year 3 (age 7) from 1 September 2015 and in subsequent years.  This would have the effect of enlarging the school from a 2FE (60 places per year group) infant to a 3FE (90 Places per year group) primary, and increasing the net capacity of the school from 180 to 630 by 1 September 2018.

(iii)  To note that the high level estimate of capital costs associated with the implementation of this decision is circa £4m, and to note the assumptions about affordability as set out paragraphs 11 – 20.

1. As Wordsworth Infant is a foundation school, only the governing body can carry out consultation on proposals to change the age range of the school.  Having been made aware of the potential shortage of primary school places in the city and wishing to address the imbalance of infant and junior schools in the Shirley area, the school have conducted pre-statutory and statutory consultation (see Appendices 3 and 4) on proposals to expand the school and are now asking the LA to make a decision on the proposals.
2. Southampton is facing a shortage of primary school places over the next 4-5 years.  The LA has developed proposals to add approximately 2600 places to primary schools by September 2018.  However, additional places are required in the city, particularly in the Shirley area, in order to allow the LA to meet its statutory duty to provide a school place to every child in the city that wants one.  Wordsworth Infant school’s proposals would enable the LA to meet its statutory duty to provide a school place to all children in the city who want one in September 2012.
3. There is currently an imbalance in the Shirley area between the number of Infant and Junior school places available.  The majority of the 90 children at Shirley Infant and 60 children from Wordsworth Infant apply for the 120 year 3 places available at Shirley Junior School.  This potentially leaves 30 children without a junior school place within a reasonable distance from their home address.  This problem would be exacerbated by the additional infant school places that are required in the area and the change from a junior to a primary school of St Mark’s, which may previously have offered junior school places to those who did not get a place at Shirley Junior.  The change from an infant to a primary would address the imbalance in infant and junior school places in the Shirley area.

1.  The Council, as decision maker, could either;

• Approve the proposals as published
• Approve the proposals with modification (e.g. to implementation dates)
• Approve the proposals subject to one of the limited statutory conditions, or
• Reject the proposals

2.  If the proposals were rejected this would likely result in the LA being unable to fulfil its statutory duty to offer a school place to all those children in the city that want one.

3.  Consideration was given to expanding Shirley Infant and Junior schools, but was not taken forward due to a lack of internal and external space.

4.  In addition to increasing Wordsworth infant from 2FE to 3FE, the building of a 2FE junior school on the Wordsworth Infant site was also considered.  However this would potentially result in 30 pupils from Wordsworth infant not being able to continue their key stage 2 educations with their peers, and was therefore not considered.