Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Corporate Director for Education and Young People’s Services, to consider and endorse or make recommendations to the Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform on the proposed decision to issue a public notice to discontinue Stansted Church of England Primary School and, subject to no objections not already considered, implement the proposal to close the School with effect from 31 August 2015.

Kevin Shovelton (Director of Education Planning and Access) and Jared Nehra (Area Education Officer – West Kent) were in attendance for this item

(1)Mr Leeson (Corporate Director of Education and Young People’s Services introduced the report which set out details of a proposed decision to issue a public notice to discontinue Stansted Church of England Primary School and, subject to no objections not already considered, implement the proposal to close the school with effect from 31 August 2015.

(2)He said the school had been confirmed as a rural school under the Designation of Rural Primary Schools (England) Order, and had a total capacity of 105 pupils.  Since the report had been published, the number of pupils that would be on the roll after the Easter break was expected to reduce to two as parents had taken up offers of places at other local schools.  He also said parents had lost confidence in the school over some time and numbers had been low for the last three years. The school had not seen sufficient improvement despite being placed into Special Measures and having received significant support since.

(3)Mr Leeson outlined some of the alternatives to closure that had been considered including federation with another school or becoming a sponsored academy as part of a multi-academy trust.

(4)In response to a question, Mr Leeson said an interim head teacher had been in place throughout the improvement period.

(5)Resolved, with regret, that the proposed decision to be taken by the Cabinet Member to:

(a)Issue a public notice to discontinue Stansted Church of England Primary School; and

(b)Subject to no objections not already considered, implement the proposal to close the School with effect from 31 August 2015; be endorsed.