Hampshire County Council
Education Committee Item 4
20 January 1998
Blendworth Church of England (Controlled) Infant
School, Blendworth, Horndean.
Report of the Director of Education
Contact: Andrew Seber, Deputy Director of Education (01962 846518)
Ann Begley, Education Officer, Havant Local Office (01705 441471)
1. Summary
1.1. This paper presents the results of the public consultation on the
proposed closure of Blendworth CE (Controlled) Infant School. The
paper recommends that Public Notices be published in accordance with
Section 167(1) of the Education Act 1996, to cease to maintain the
school. The paper also recommends that consideration be given to
changing the catchment area of Horndean Infant School to include the
area now served by Blendworth school.
2. Background
2.1. The Ofsted report was published on 12 November 1997 recommending that
Blendworth Infant School be put under special measures as a result of
its recent OFSTED inspection "as it is failing to give its pupils an
acceptable standard of education."
2.2. The Schools Monitoring Sub-committee will continue to receive reports
on actions taken to support the school. The Governors' Action Plan
will be available to the sub-committee by its meeting on 10 February
1998.
2.3. Blendworth Infant School is a small Victorian school, located under
half a mile east of Horndean. It has a capacity of 41 places, with a
standard number of 13. At the time of writing there are 27 pupils
on roll.
2.4. The Blendworth Infant School building is in fair condition. There
are two classrooms and a resource space on the ground floor. There
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is a small upstairs area housing an office (not ideal), headteacher's
room and library (which also doubles as a staffroom and resource
room). The site is very tight and there is a small playground.
2.5. All of the pupils attending Blendworth Infant School come from the
catchment areas of other schools. There is no housing development
planned for the Blendworth catchment and the 13 children per year can
be accommodated within the schools mentioned elsewhere in this
report. Projections of pupil numbers at the other local schools,
which take into account house building and other trends, show that
there will continue to be more than enough places locally.
2.6. In 1993, the school was proposed for closure as part of the programme
of surplus place removal when the age of transfer reorganisation was
undertaken across southern Hampshire. The County Council's proposal
was supported by Portsmouth CE Diocesan Board of Education but was
rejected by the Secretary of State for Education and Employment.
3. Consultations
3.1. The document prepared for the consultation is attached as Appendix 1.
3.2. Two consultation meetings were held, (a) for staff, governors and
parents of Blendworth on 6 January 1998 and (b) on 8 January 1998 for
headteachers and chairmen of governors of neighbouring schools that
could possibly be affected by the proposal. Any member wishing to
see the detailed records of the consultation meetings and written
submissions should contact Andrew Seber. At the Blendworth meeting
parents, staff and governors were opposed to the proposal. The
representatives of the other schools supported the statements in the
consultation document. A summary of views expressed at each meeting
follows.
4. Blendworth Infant School Parents, Governors and Staff
4.1. The parents submitted a written statement (Appendix 2) outlining
their reasons for opposing the closure of the school. In addition
the following points were made:
* the children benefit from being in small classes, are happy and
get individual help with special needs. It was perceived that
larger schools had larger classes and could not provide this level
of help;
* parental choice would be reduced by the closure and the children
would be forced to be in classes of over 30 if they are admitted
to their catchment school;
* parents believe, from what they see, that the school is very well
run;
* the timing of the Ofsted inspection (22 September 1997)
disadvantaged the school as some of the children were still only
part-time and not fully adjusted to the routine of the school;
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* the County Council should give the school time to put things right
as set out in the action plan before considering closure;
* parents have never received reports from Hampshire County
Council's inspectors so they do not know what the County Council's
view of the school was before Ofsted;
* clarification was sought on a number of points relating to
parental preference, admissions process, the appeals procedure and
catchment areas;
* housing developments are planned for the area and the school will
be needed in the future;
* the closure was proposed only as a cost-cutting exercise;
* educating children in a very small school has saved the County
Council money by not having to spend money on SEN help in later
years;
* it is disruptive and unsettling for the children. Parents are
being forced to move their children now in order to secure a place
at the more popular schools;
* they wish to know at what point would Hampshire County Council
consider the school is no longer viable;
* reference was made to the absence of the headteacher and parents
asked about County Council action to support the school if the
absence is prolonged.
4.2. At the meeting, responses were given by reference to the consultation
paper and to the policies and procedures of the County Council.
Particular note was taken of concerns about the availability of
places at individual schools. Officers would work with parents
individually to help ensure that preferences were met wherever
possible.
Officers made themselves available at the end of the meeting to
discuss individual problems and concerns.
4.3. No formal view has been submitted by the governors or staff. One
teacher has made an individual written response.
5. Governors and Headteachers of Other Local Schools
5.1. It was agreed by the representatives of the other local schools that:
* the consultation paper was very straightforward, and they saw no
need for comment; as indicated in the paper the places are there
and all children could be accommodated throughout the various
schools;
* the standard of education in other schools is good for ALL pupils;
this is borne out by the Ofsted reports and the SATs (standard
attainment test) results. The Ofsted inspection timing is the
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same for everyone - dates given have to be accepted;
* all schools have to meet the needs of the full ability range of
children including those who have special needs or are socially
unprepared for school. They too offer a caring ethos in which the
teaching of morals is part of the children's overall education;
* the schools all provide value for money even though they are not
as heavily resourced per pupil as Blendworth;
* it was suggested that catchment areas for Horndean Infant,
Catherington Infant and Petersgate Infant schools should be
reviewed if Blendworth school is closed.
6. Update on Number on Roll and Staffing
6.1. Since the consultation paper (Appendix 1) was prepared the number of
pupils on the roll at the school has decreased from 38 to 27. The
breakdown of pupils is as follows:
Year R: 7
Year 1: 11
Year 2: 9
6.2. The teaching staff consists of the headteacher plus 1.6 teachers.
The headteacher has been absent since 18 December 1997 on health
grounds. Steps are being taken to appoint an acting headteacher, and
it is anticipated that these will be complete by the time the
Education Committee meets.
7. Proposal for Closure
7.1. In the event of Blendworth being closed, the catchment area of
Blendworth Infant School would be allocated to Horndean Infant
School. Approximately one third of the pupils attending Horndean
Infant School do not live within the school's catchment area. There
are more than sufficient places available in the surrounding area to
satisfy parental preferences even if Blendworth School is closed.
7.2. Closure of Blendworth Infant School would lead to revenue savings
arising from the release of the school site and buildings (which
would revert to the trustees) and from those elements of the school
budget share which relate to the establishment rather than its per-
pupil funding. These would altogether amount to £47,000 in a full
year, which would add to the education budget available for children
generally. This is over and above the funding which would go to the
schools taking children who would otherwise go to Blendworth.
8. Portsmouth Church of England Diocesan Board of Education
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8.1. The Diocesan Board of Education supports the proposal for closure. A
statement is attached as Appendix 3.
9. Conclusion
9.1. Some parents have, since consultation was launched, decided to move
their children from the school but there remains strong support for
the school. Good quality provision is available locally and could
support the children well through any initial disruption and in the
longer term.
Recommendations
It is recommended that:
1. Public Notices be published in accordance with Section 167(1)
of the Education Act 1996, cease to maintain Blendworth CE
(Controlled) Infant School with effect from September 1998.
2. That the catchment area of Horndean Infant School be extended
to include Blendworth's catchment area.
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