Archived decisions

Appendix 1

Record of drop-in session held at Knights Enham Infant School Community Room, Andover

Date: 8 March 2006

Times: 8.30 - 11.30 pm

These sessions were intended mainly for parents in the Knights Enham community. Officers spoke to about 50 residents.

The following points were made:

1 A parent said that he had moved his child from Shepherds Spring to Knights Enham because of bullying and the new school had tackled the problem immediately.

2 The area was not large compared to a city and it was possible to walk between schools.

3 What would happen to land and buildings if schools closed?

4 Had any thought been given to the provision of a secondary school?

5 Birth rates can fluctuate. Had this been taken into account?

6 It is illogical to build a new school when there are so many surplus places in the area.

7 No school was built at Saxon Fields so why should one be built at East Anton?

8 The nursery provision at the school was exceptional and should not be jeopardised. This point was made by a number of parents.

9 The schools are very much part of the local community.

10 Teachers had particular expertise with SEN.

11 If there was any disruption, pupils' SATS scores would inevitably be affected.

12 Has the County Council considered carefully the cost of providing new schools compared to enhancing existing schools?

13 A parent said that Knights Enham had supported her child with ADHD exceptionally well. Other parents also spoke highly of the SEN provision at the schools.

14 Would changing the catchment areas help to ensure that all schools had sufficient children?

15 The bridge over the dual carriageway was very "scary". There were also dark alleys on the Knights Enham side of the road which would deter parents and children.

16 The County Council should recognise the exceptional change brought about by Knights Enham Junior School's Rights, Respect and Responsibilities agenda. This had received widespread national publicity and the school was an outstanding example of how this programme affected not only individual children's but also families' lives.

17 Many families have no car and therefore can only walk their children to school.

18 The proposals to close one pair of schools had exacerbated relationships between the two communities which were already "nasty".