Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Schools Improvement

Forward Plan Ref: 2011/014

Contact: Roy Leach, Strategic Lead – School Organisation & Planning Tel: (01865) 816458

Report by Director for Children, Education & Families (CA6).

The closure of Culham Parochial Primary School was proposed in November 2010 and was the subject of an extensive public consultation. The responses to the consultation were reported to Cabinet in February 2011 where a decision about whether or not to publish a statutory closure notice was deferred until March 2011 Cabinet to give the school’s governors more time to address, through a recovery plan, a number of key issues. Although progress had been made by the time Cabinet met in March, a robust recovery plan was not fully in place and a decision was taken to publish the statutory notice whilst ‘leaving the door open’ to governors. This report relays the representations made to the statutory notice; assesses progress made towards addressing the key issues; and considers the implications of closing the school with effect from the end of August 2011.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)              Consider the governors’ recovery plan and evaluate it against the three conditions detailed in paragraphs 2 (a) – (c) and decide whether it provides sufficient assurance to continue to maintain Culham Parochial School, and is therefore grounds to reject the closure proposal.

Should Cabinet be of the opinion that the ‘recovery plan’ is inadequate in one or more respects then, 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(b)                  consider the representations made in response to the statutory closure notice with particular reference to the issues detailed in paragraphs 17 - 26 and the Statutory Guidance; and

(c)                   approve the closure of Culham Parochial School with effect from midnight, 31 August 2011.

Mr Churchill-Stone thanked officers for the balanced report produced and updated on the current position on the three conditions.

Responding to questions from Cabinet Members MR Churchill-Stone stated that he had no reason to doubt the commitment of the acting Headteacher to gain the relevant qualification once appointed. He had been ineligible to apply to\the earlier advert for the job as he did not possess the qualification required.

The Cabinet Member for Schools Improvement referred to the presumption against the closure of rural schools. Culham was a strong community and she felt that sufficient progress had been made to keep the school open. There were risks around the headteacher, school numbers and the budget and it was right to recognise those risks but did not support the closure of the school. She suggested that a councillor be included on the Governing Body.

During discussion Cabinet members supported the for Schools Improvement referred to the presumption against the closure of rural schools. Culham was a strong community and she felt that sufficient progress had been made to keep the school open. There were risks around the headteacher, school numbers and the budget and it was right to recognise those risks but did not support the closure of the school. She suggested that a councillor be included on the Governing Body.

During discussion Cabinet Members supported the proposal from the Cabinet Member for Schools Improvement, feeling that the strong community effort deserved reward. However concerns did remain particularly over the appointment of an unqualified headteacher who had not applied for\the job initially.  The situation would require careful monitoring by the Council. It was important that the Governors and community did not relax as if a similar position was reached again where the viability of the school was at issue there would be an end to the options available.

RESOLVED:             to:

(a)                               agree not to seek the closure of Culham Parochial School;

                     and

(b)                       that efforts be made to ensure that a councillor is a member of the school’s Governing Body.