Archived decisions

Primary School Provision in Whiteley and the Western Wards

Item 6

Notes of consultation meeting of the governors of Brookfield Community School and Language College

2 March 2005 - 7.00pm

The meeting was attended by 10 governors and the acting headteacher

Officers outlined the key elements of the consultation programme, drawing particular attention to the data set out in the consultation paper and the four suggested options. They highlighted the details of the decision making process, emphasising that no decisions had been taken and that no option had been formally rejected.

Questions asked/issues raised by governors:

_ Governors asked about how sites were allocated for new schools and whether developers were required or expected to provide sites free of charge.

_ Although a second major phase of the Whiteley development was envisaged at the original planning stage, there were currently no plans for this to proceed before 2011 at the earliest.

_ A governor asked whether it was possible to close a school, sell the site and then rebuild elsewhere using the capital receipt.

_ Governors asked whether, although there was as yet no primary school in Hampshire with 840 places, this option was ruled out for Whiteley.

_ Governors asked how Option 4, essentially the status quo with pupils unable to obtain a place at Whiteley Primary School attending schools in the Western Wards, could be reconciled with the County Council's "green policy".

_ Governors noted that currently pupils attending Brookfield feeder schools only had priority to get into Brookfield if they lived in the catchment area. Therefore, Whiteley children attending feeder schools would have to move into the Brookfield catchment area if they wished to have priority to attend Brookfield. This seemed unreasonable if they had already been forced to attend primary schools outside Whiteley.

_ Governors were keen to emphasise their concerns that, at the age of 11, pupils might well not be able to move on with their peers. They were particularly sympathetic to those pupils who were attending Brookfield's linked primary schools only because there had been insufficient space within Whiteley Primary School. Governors stated that the interests of pupils should be treated as paramount, as there was a danger that decisions would be made on the basis of numbers and financial issues only.

_ The governors emphasised that Brookfield School took its community responsibilities very seriously and would always wish to admit pupils attending its linked schools. Thus far, there had been few "them and us" problems amongst pupils but they feared that uncertainty at 11+ might increase tensions between local secondary schools.