Issue details

25/00009 - Proposal to change the age range of Blean Primary School, Canterbury, from 4-11 years to 3-11 years.

Proposed decision:

 

The Cabinet Member for Education and Skills to agree to permanently expand  the age range of the Blean Primary School from 4-11 years to 3-11 years to establish a school run pre-school provision

 

 

Reason for the decision

As Blean Primary School is a community school, the decision maker is the Local Authority and requires a statutory process to lower the age range of the school. The proposal to lower the age range requires a public notice.

 

Background

In Spring 2023, the Government announced its ambition of extending the free entitlements to younger children in three phases. Phase one implemented in April 2024, saw children of working parents entitled to 15 hours of funding the term after they turned two. In September 2024, phase two will extend this offer to working parents of those children aged 9 months plus and then in September 2025, phase three will see the working parent entitlement extending to 30 hours for all eligible children.

 

Blean Primary School currently provides early years education for children who turn five when in the Reception class. The school have proposed to lower the age range from 4-11 to 3-11 years to provide a pre-school provision at the school.

 

The proposed pre-school provision at Blean Primary School will be to for up to 26 children and will be accommodated in a spare classroom within the school, adjacent to the reception classes.

 

Blean Primary School was judged “Outstanding” by Ofsted in March 2022. The Local Authority is confident that the strong and effective leadership of the school has the capacity to establish a successful pre-school provision, ensuring there will be additional pre-school places available for local families.

 

Securing Kent’s Future

 

The 'Securing Kent's Future' strategy outlines the measures that KCC intend to take to ensure that Kent remains financially stable, now and long into the future.  It describes the statutory priorities, one of which being the statutory duty to ensure sufficient school places are available to any child or young person who requires one.  This duty applies to Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision, as well as mainstream settings.

 

This proposal is necessary for KCC to continue to deliver the statutory duty, in a cost-effective way, in line with the guidelines described in the Securing Kent's Future strategy. It will help to maintain KCC’s strategic role in supporting schools in Kent to deliver accessible, high quality education provision for all families.

 

Framing Kent’s Future – Our Council Strategy 2022-2026

 

This proposal will help to support Framing Kent’s Future – Our Council Strategy (2022-2026) Priority 1 - Levelling up. ‘To maintain KCC’s strategic role in supporting schools in Kent to deliver accessible, high quality education provision for all families.’

 

Financial Implications

 

Capital

The school will be responsible for any capital costs which are required for the refurbishment of the classroom and outdoor space. The government has made available to schools the School-Based Nurseries Capital Grant 2024 to 2025. Through this grant, schools can bid for up to £150,000 of capital funding to create or expand school-based nursery provision by using surplus space in primary-phase school buildings. Blean Primary School intends to bid for this grant funding for the creation of the pre-school at their school.

 

Revenue

The school will be responsible for establishing the nursery and responsible for all revenue costs associated with the running of the provision. The school will also be responsible for appointing staff as required. The school will receive income for nursery places either from parental contributions or funding for the provision of free entitlements to eligible children (administered by KCC and fully funded by an external grant from the Department of Education).

 

 

Legal Implications

KCC, as the Local Authority (LA), has a statutory duty to ensure sufficient school places are available.  This duty applies to Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision, as well as mainstream settings.

 

The County Council’s Commissioning Plan for Education Provision in Kent 2024 - 28 is a five-year rolling plan which is updated annually.  It sets out KCC’s future plans as Strategic Commissioner of Education Provision across all types and phases of education in Kent. It also sets out how we will carry out our responsibility for early education and childcare. Early Education and Childcare is legislatively governed by the Childcare Acts of 2006 and 2016. These place a duty on all local authorities to improve outcomes for young children, to cut inequalities between them, to secure sufficient childcare, with adequate flexibility to allow parents to work.

 

https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/education-provision/education-provision-plan

 

Statutory Guidance on the changing of age range of a maintained school can be found in the Making significant changes (‘prescribed alterations’) to maintained schools Statutory guidance for proposers and decision makers October 2024 This guidance primarily relates to The School Organisation (Prescribed Alterations to Maintained Schools) (England) Regulations 2013.

 

A statutory process is required to lower the age range, which consists of an initial informal consultation period of 4 weeks. Any objections will be considered by the Cabinet Member in advance of taking a decision to issue the Public Notice. Should significant objections, not already considered by the Cabinet Member when taking this decision, be received during the notice period, a separate decision may be required dependent on the level of modification required in order to continue the proposal and allow for proper consideration of the points raised.

 

School organisation: local-authority-maintained schools - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

 

 

Decision type: Key

Decision status: For Determination

Notice of proposed decision first published: 04/02/2025

Decision due: Not before 5th Mar 2025 by Cabinet Member for Education and Skills
Reason: To allow the required 28 notice period on the published list of forthcoming executive decisions

Lead member: Cabinet Member for Education and Skills

Lead director: Christine McInnes

Department: Education & Young People's Services

Contact: Robert Veale, Assistant Director Education (East Kent) Email: Robert.veale@kent.gov.uk Email: robert.veale@kent.gov.uk.

Consultees

The proposed decision will be considered at the Children’s, Young People and Education Cabinet Committee on 27 February 2024.

 

Financial implications: Please see detail above

Legal implications: Please see detail above

Equalities implications: Equalities Implications An Equality Impact Assessment has been completed that indicates that there are no issues. DPIA (if relevant) A DPIA was not required to be undertaken