Archived decisions
ITEM 1
AT A MEETING of the EDUCATION POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE of the HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL held at The Castle, Winchester on 12 June 2002.
PRESENT:
M.J. Kendal (Chairman); Mrs S.E. Allbright; Mrs A.E. Bailey; Carol Boulton; K.G. Chapman; B.D. Dash; J.J. Dawson; Mrs P.M. Devereux; R.J. Ellis; J.K. Glen; Mrs K. Heron; Mrs M. Humber; Mrs R. Jenkins; S.W. Juniper; Jo Kelly; R. Kimber; Mrs P.G. Peskett; Mrs E.M.F. Randall; J.W. Stocks; Rev. D.M. Turner; J.G.L. Wall.
Also present: Councillor D.G. Allen, Executive Member for Education and Councillor B.T. Gurden, local County Councillor.
63. DEPUTATIONS
The Committee, on an exceptional basis, received two deputations even though it had not been possible for them to give the requisite formal notice. They accordingly received presentations from Mrs F. Jackson, on behalf of the governors of St. Mark's C.E. (Aided) Primary School, Hatch Warren; and from Mrs G. Norris, on behalf of the governors of Beech Down Primary School.
64. REVIEW OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PROVISION IN SOUTH WEST BASINGSTOKE
The Committee considered reports comprising the statement by the Executive Member for Education setting out the reasons for his decision; the formal record setting out the terms of his decision on 23 May 2002; the draft minute of the Education Policy Review Committee held on 21 May 2002 relating to this item; the additional information circulated for Members following the seminar on 13 May; and the original report of the County Education Officer. Copies of all these documents are set out in the Minute Book. The Chairman explained the call-in procedure as set out in Part 3:D, paragraph 1.15 of the Constitution. It was reported that the decision had been called in for review by Councillors Mrs Bailey, Brown, Boulton, Dash, Kelly, Mrs Peskett, Mrs Randall, Wall and Wright, and that the meeting had accordingly been arranged within the timescales specified in the Constitution.
The Committee first considered Councillor Allen's statement of reasons, setting out the background to his decision (Item 1X in the Minute Book). In amplification he explained how difficult the decision had been but he was confident that overall his decision was in the best interests of all the children in the area. It represented effective use of resources, by removing surplus places in the northern part of the area where numbers of primary pupils were declining and providing more places in the southern part where numbers were growing as a result of residential development. Councillor Allen and the County Education Officer explained that they had taken into account the particular requirements of children with special educational needs, and were confident that the unit for children with emotional and
behavioural difficulties could be successfully transferred from Beech Down to St. Mark's.
Members supporting the call-in, including Councillor Gurden as local Member, spoke against Councillor Allen's decision and in favour of keeping Beech Down Primary open as a 210 place school. Among the arguments they put forward were the long term welfare, social and educational development of the children attending Beech Down; their view that a school destroyed by fire should be rebuilt; concern at the delay and the uncertainty caused by the review; the impact which Beech Down's closure would have on the wider community; doubts as to whether capital receipts from eventual disposal of the Beech Down site would be as high as expected; concerns as to whether children with emotional and behavioural difficulties could easily adapt from a small school to a large school with over 600 pupils; the likely effect on road traffic and congestion in the area; and the view that the planned regeneration of the Brighton Hill area was likely to lead to a growth in population and therefore of primary aged children.
Other Members spoke in support of Councillor Allen's decision, and pointed out the substantial investment of over £7M in local schools and the resultant benefits for Chalk Ridge Primary, Manor Field Infant/Junior, Hatch Warren Infant/Junior and St. Mark's, together with improved provision for early years and special educational needs. They endorsed the need to reduce surplus places and to target investment in areas where the primary school population was growing rather than declining. They felt that the Executive Member's proposals were a reasonable response in both educational and financial terms, especially bearing in mind the demographic trends in the area. The capital receipts forecast were measured and any risk offset by the overall finance package and experience from other similar schemes. They suggested that the County Council should be sympathetic in any cases of hardship resulting from change in school uniform.
On conclusion of the debate, the Executive Member for Education responded that he had not heard any conclusive evidence which would lead him to change his decision. He recognised the distress felt by the Beech Down community at the prospect of such a good school closing, but felt that the County Council with its role in strategic deployment of resources could not evade the responsibility to review the overall pattern of demand for school places within the area. He remained convinced that his proposals represented the best way forward and was sure that the changes would be sensitively managed, given the extended timetable prior to implementation in September 2004.
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