Agenda item

(1)          The Chairman invited Ms Smith, the lead petitioner, to address the Council on the above petition.  Ms Smith spoke to the petition.

(2)          Mr Carter as the local Member reserved his right to speak until the end of the debate and the Chairman then opened up the debate to the floor and a number of otherMembers spoke on the petition.

(3)          The Chairman then invited the Cabinet Member for Education, Learning and Skills, Mr Whiting, to respond to the debate and describe how he intended to take the petitioner’s concerns forward. 

(4)          Mr Whiting congratulated the organisers of the SAT campaign for successfully triggering the debate and for ably conveying the views of the local community. 

(5)          He explained that the Council had recently consulted on a draft Commissioning Plan for Education Provision 2012-17 that sets out how the Council interpreted and proposed to fulfil its duties as a strategic commissioner of education provision.  There were three central threads:

·               ensuring sufficient high quality places exist,

·               raising school standards, and

·               responding to parental demand. 

(6)          Mr Whiting said that the debate demonstrated that this was an ongoing task, as the shape of the county’s communities changed.  He said that throughout the consultation process it had been clear that the Plan would evolve, as it captured more information about the wishes of communities.  The SAT campaign clearly demonstrated the views of this community and the Council needed to ensure that the Commissioning Plan reflected this clear view.

(7)          Mr Whiting explained that to this end, the County Council had been working with the Governing Body of St John’s to commission additional school places.  He said he was pleased that the Governing Body had agreed in principle to the expansion of the school from 1 to 2 forms of entry and this proposal would be subject to public consultation at the beginning of the academic year.  He said that the Council would seek to ensure that an additional reception class and year 1 class would open in September 2013.  He said that he recognised this would not help those families who had not secured a place at a local school in the Grove Green/Bearsted area this year, and he was sorry for this.  However, it would afford parents the opportunity to consider moving their child at the end of year R if they believed that was the right thing for their child and family.

(8)          Mr Whiting stated that the consultation outcome would be considered by the Governing Body, which would then determine if it wished for the school to expand.  A business case would then be presented to the Education Funding Agency, which would make a recommendation to the Secretary of State for decision.  Mr Whiting hoped a decision on expansion would be made by Christmas.  In the meantime, the Council was proceeding with building feasibility work, with a view to developing a scheme which would enable at least two class bases to be provided for September 2013. 

(9)          Mr Whiting stated that the Council was committed to ensuring that if St John’s expanded, it did so in quality, permanent accommodation with the central infrastructure to enable the school to continue to provide the high quality provision of which everyone was so proud.

(10)     The County Council noted the Cabinet Member’s response and the Chairman thanked the petitioners for attending the meeting.