Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Schools Improvement

Forward Plan Ref: 2010/194

Contact: Barbara Chillman, Principal Officer – School Organisation & Planning Tel: (01865) 816459

Report by Director for Children, Education & Families (CA9).

St Christopher’s CE Primary School has a published admission number of 45 children. For September 2010, 50 parents chose the school as their first preference. Due to rising numbers of children needing primary school places in Oxford, the school agreed to take more than its admission number in September 2009 and 2010, accepting up to 60 children into the reception class in each year. At the January 2011 pupil census the school had 60 reception class children and 55 in Year 1.

Oxford city is experiencing rapid growth in pupil numbers, and Primary Care Trust records and the annual census of local children in early years settings show that the demand for places at St Christopher’s CE Primary School is likely to continue to be above the planned admission number. Other nearby schools are also expected to be full or nearly full, and expansions are underway or planned for several other schools in the city.

For September 2011 the school’s admission number has been published as 60, and a decision is now required as to whether to publish formal proposals for a permanent expansion. The intention is to publish the statutory notice in September, to avoid the school holidays.

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to approve the publication of a statutory notice for the expansion of St Christopher’s CE Primary School, Cowley.

Cabinet considered a report setting out the results of informal consultation on a proposal for the expansion of St Christopher’s Primary School.

The Cabinet Member for Schools Improvement in recommending the proposed expansion commented that there had been issues around traffic congestion but she was satisfied that a solution had been found.

RESOLVED:             to approve the publication of a statutory notice for the expansion of St Christopher’s CE Primary School, Cowley.