Archived decisions
REPORT OF THE
EXECUTIVE MEMBER
EDUCATION
PART II
REVIEW OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PROVISION IN NORTH WEST FARNBOROUGH
1. The Executive Member has considered the future pattern of primary education in the North West Farnborough area, which involves the following schools: Pinewood Infant School, Guillemont Junior School, Manor Infant School and Southwood Infant School. He did so in the light of a series of consultations held with interested parties during the spring term of 2004 and also in the light of two other salient factors. The first was the destruction by fire of the majority of buildings at Pinewood Infant School, which means that for the past year the school has been operating with temporary buildings alongside those parts of the premises unaffected by the fire; and a pattern of primary school population which shows a decline in numbers in North West Farnborough over the next five years. Both the Executive Member for Education and Education Policy Review Committee had before them a full report setting out all the facts, figures and views expressed, together with options for the future.
2. The Education Policy Review Committee met on 11 May and expressed to the Executive Member for Education their opposition to the proposed closure of Pinewood Infant School. They therefore advised him that Pinewood Infant School should be rebuilt as a 90-place infant school, either on its current site or as part of an amalgamated primary school at the Guillemont Junior School site, together with the continuation of the early years provision and the exploration of enhanced community provision in partnership with Rushmoor Borough Council.
3. The Executive Member for Education, having considered in detail all the views put to him, stressed the need to take a strategic long-term view of primary education in the area in order to direct investment effectively for pupils both now and in the future. He therefore took the following decision:-
· Discontinue Pinewood Infant School, with effect from 31 August 2006
· Make a prescribed alteration to Southwood Infant School by the establishment of resourced provision for children with speech, language and communication needs, with effect from 1 September 2006
· The Early Years Provision located on the Pinewood Infant School site to be allowed to remain
· Officers to be authorised to engage with Rushmoor Borough Council and other appropriate agencies, for example, health, to explore the opportunities for developing community provision on the Pinewood Infant School site.
He also agreed the publication of the appropriate public notices to give effect to the above decisions. A statutory two-month period for formal objections would then follow and the results would be reported to the School Organisation Committee in due course.
4. The Executive Member for Education's decision was then "called in" by nine Members, representing a quorum of the Committee, pursuant to Part 3:D Paragraph 1.15 of the Constitution. The Education Policy Review Committee met again on 28 May and reviewed the decisions set out in paragraph 3 above. Members supporting the call-in were in favour of keeping Pinewood open as a 90-place infant school, as in their view it represented a vital educational, social and community focus for a community isolated from the rest of Farnborough by the M3; there were concerns about some of the potential walking routes to the alternative, Manor Infant School, which involved using a footbridge or underpass to cross the M3; there would be logistical difficulties for parents if they had to get children to both Manor Infant and Guillemont Junior Schools, located on opposite sides of the motorway; their view was that the effective integration of special needs, language-impaired children at Pinewood could not be easily reproduced at another school, Southwood Infant, without undue disruption; increased walking/travelling distances were likely to compound existing traffic and environmental problems in the area; possible longer term impact on pupil numbers and viability of Guillemont Junior School; and the feeling that the review had been precipitated by the fire at Pinewood and that a more wide ranging review would identify other alternative means of gradually reducing the incidence of surplus places without the need to close Pinewood Infant School.
5. There was support for the Executive Member's decision from Members who considered that the County Council must take a wider strategic view and could not justify investing a sum estimated in the region of £2m - £3m to rebuild Pinewood Infant School on the reduced scale of 90 places, when those places would be surplus to requirements in the area; their view that small infant schools did not represent an efficient use of resources and that no convincing case had been made for Pinewood to be an exception to that policy; and the feeling that the choice of walking routes to alternative schools was reasonable.
6. On conclusion of the second Education Policy Review Committee meeting, the Executive Member for Education reiterated that he had listened very carefully to all the views expressed during the consultation, to the points made by the deputations and to the views expressed by the Education Policy Review Committee. He further amplified the reasons for his decision and indicated that he was certain that overall it was in the best interests of all the children in the area. He saw no evidence of any exceptional case which would persuade him to change his decision. He stressed the strategic reasons which had led him to the conclusion that the County Council should not devote scarce resources to a small infant school when acceptable alternative provision was available at other schools within reasonable distance. He remained confident that proposals for the language-impaired provision to transfer to Southwood Infant School could be effectively and sensitively managed, given the extended timetable before implementation in September 2006. He recognised the distress felt by the Pinewood community at the prospect of a good school closing, but regrettably he considered he had heard no conclusive evidence which would lead him to change his mind.
7. The Executive Member for Education went on to consider a request from the Education Policy Review Committee that, in the event of Pinewood Infant School closing and the unit for language-impaired children being transferred to Southwood, then the language-impaired staff at Pinewood should be given the opportunity to transfer to Southwood Infant School in order to provide a seamless transfer of services to the children, subject only to those staff being willing to transfer. The Executive Member for Education indicated that he would be ready to encourage the Governors and staff of the schools concerned to make the transition from Pinewood to Southwood if they wished to do so, although he pointed out that the County Council did not have powers to direct them to transfer in this way.
8. The Executive Member for Education then went on to consider further advice from the Education Policy Review Committee, to the effect that it believed the closure of Pinewood Infant School would
· threaten the medium term viability of primary education north of the M3
· threaten the loss of excellent inclusive education of language-impaired children
and that accordingly the Executive Member for Education be invited to reconsider his decision and investigate the feasibility of a primary school on the Guillemont site alongside a wider review of surplus place removal in North West Farnborough. The Executive Member for Education responded that he was unable to accept this further advice, as it once again proposed the construction of infant school places which were surplus to requirements in the area. He remained convinced that his proposals were the right strategic way forward and represented the most efficient use of resources, in the interests of maintaining high standards for children throughout Hampshire.
9. The decision recorded in paragraph 3 above does not depart from the County Council's policy framework. It supports aims 1 and 5 of the Corporate Strategy.