Issue - meetings

(1)       This report set out the results of the public consultation on the proposal received from The Local Learning Trust to establish a new Trust school on the Ellington site.  An amendment to paragraph 8 of the report was circulated at the meeting confirming the views of the Learning and Skills Council. 

(2)       Mr Poole said that Hereson and Ellington were two very good schools and he believed the proposals would secure their long term viability.   He welcomed the intention of the Trust to continue to maximise the opportunities for single-sex teaching and said Dr Ladyman, the local Member of Parliament, who supported the proposals but had expressed disappointment that the two local grammar schools were not included as part of these proposals.  Mr Poole also said that a public right of way adjacent to the site was to be upgraded as part of the terms of a planning application.  This upgrading of the right of way appeared to have been delayed for some reason and he wished to see that proposal progressed.

(3)       Mr Doole said the promoter of the proposal had confirmed that they would deliver a school which conformed to the County Council’s specification and this was supported in their detailed submission.  The partners of the prospective Trust are currently pursuing trust status and they have assured the Council that the Trust would be in place prior to September 2009.  Also, measures would be put in place to ensure that students who attended the new school were not disadvantaged in terms of accessing post-16 provision.  He also said that because of the timescales the local community had had an extended opportunity to comment on these proposals and he believed that the low level of responses to the consultation was in part as a result of the fact that there was wide ranging support for the proposals within the community and this was reflected particularly in the support of the two governing bodies.

(4)       Following further discussion the Advisory Board agreed to the proposal received from the Local Learning Trust, for the establishment of a new trust school to replace the Hereson (Community) School and Ellington (Community) School for Girls, Ramsgate to be established on the Ellington site from September 2009.