PRIMARY SCHOOL PROVISION IN THE BUCKSKIN AREA OF BASINGSTOKE

AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT LOCAL CONSULTATIONS

1. The Executive Member has considered a report on the incidence of surplus primary school places in the Buckskin area of Western Basingstoke. The schools serving that area are Worting Infant, Worting Junior, Park View Infant and Park View Junior. Taken overall the capacity of these schools is 1,050 places, but total pupil numbers are currently 767, with only a minimal increase to 779 expected by 2006. The number of surplus places therefore is currently 283 (27%), falling to 271 (25.8%) in 2006. Levels of surplus places are substantially higher in the Worting Schools. The stability of the overall school population in the area, and the consistently high level of surplus places, means that action should be taken to rationalise provision of primary education in the area.

2. The Executive Member has given detailed consideration to possible ways of reducing the number of surplus places, concentrated as they are in the Worting Schools. There is clearly a need to retain primary school provision at Worting, but retention of surplus places on their present scale cannot be justified. One option giving flexibility for the future whilst also reducing surplus places, is to create a 1.5 form entry primary school on one of the Worting sites. Feasibility studies show that such a re-configuration could more readily be accommodated on the junior site, with funding for the necessary works to be generated from capital receipts derived from disposal of the infant school site.

3. The Executive Member has, therefore, agreed that local consultations should be undertaken on the possible amalgamation of Worting Infant School and Worting Junior School to form a 1.5 form entry primary school with early years provision on the Worting Junior School site. Local consultations will therefore be carried out with governing bodies, staff, parents and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council. A report on the outcome of those consultations will come back to Education Policy Review Committee and the Executive Member for Education in January 2003, when a decision will be taken on whether to publish formal statutory notices to change the pattern of primary educational provision in the area.

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