Appendix 1

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Contacts: Melanie Saunders, Education Officer (Secondary); tel: 01962 846364; e-mail: [email protected]

Ian Lawson, Strategic Planning Officer; tel: 01962 846350; e-mail: [email protected]

1 Summary

1.1 This report recommends that local consultations be undertaken by the County Council on the proposal by the governors of Frogmore Community College that the sixth form at the school should close.

2 Current situation

2.1 Frogmore Community College is a community secondary school catering for the 11-18 age range. It is one of two remaining Hampshire community schools with a sixth form (the other being Yateley School). Frogmore Community College had a total of 739 on roll in January 2006, of whom 81 were students in the sixth form. The net capacity of the college, at January 2006, is 809.

2.2 The governing body is becoming increasingly concerned at the viability of the sixth form and has requested that the County Council should undertake consultations regarding the closure of the sixth form. The governing body's reasons are set out in the following paragraphs.

3 Financial viability

3.1 Despite best efforts and wide-thinking, the school has been unsuccessful in its efforts to increase numbers staying on into the sixth form. There was a temporary improvement in numbers in 2003/4 but the college has had fewer than 100 students in the combined year 12 and 13 total in its sixth form for the last two years. With such small numbers, delivering a curriculum of appropriate breadth means that some classes frequently have had fewer than 5 students.

3.2 At this stage in the academic year, recruitment for September 2006 is proving problematic and five proposed classes have three or fewer students. These are not tenable and their removal from the curriculum on offer will have the inevitable domino effect of reducing numbers in other subjects. A sixth form of fewer than 90 students means that funding provided by the County Council for key stages 3 and 4 is likely to be needed to subsidise post-16 provision which is funded by the Learning and skills Council.

3.3 If the college is unable to maintain sixth form numbers now, it will have less chance of doing so in the future as the size of year groups coming through is smaller. Currently the number on roll pre-16 is 658.

4 Educational viability

4.1 The college increasingly is unable to offer an appropriate breadth of curriculum nor the range of accreditation, particularly as access to both academic and vocational routes 14-19 becomes an entitlement. A significant proportion of the students staying in the past have not reached the necessary threshold to study at advanced level.

4.2 The college wants to be outstanding. Less dilution of focus by concentrating on KS3 and KS4 would make becoming so more likely.

5 Competition from other providers

5.1 The proximity of other successful post-16 institutions, particularly the continued expansion of Farnborough Sixth Form College and its status as popular post-16 provider offering a wide range of courses, means that Frogmore College is a very unequal competitor and will continue to be so.

6 Procedure and timing

6.1 Even when it is the governing body of a school which wish to explore closure, proposals to close the sixth form at a community school must be made by the local authority following consultation with interested parties, including parents, staff and the local Learning and Skills Council. The outcome of these consultations would be reported to the Children's Services Policy Review Committee and the Executive Member for Education in May 2006. If agreed, public notices would be published and any objections considered by the School Organisation Committee.

6.2 The earliest date on which a formal decision to close could be made would be late July 2006 (if there are no objections). This means that it would be necessary for the college to offer some courses for students to start in September 2006, although it is possible that there will not be a high take up, if any. Any students currently in year 12 continuing to the second year of a two year course in September 2006, would remain at the college until July 2007. This means that the college would cease to cater for the 16-19 age range after July 2008, or July 2007 if no new students are admitted to two year courses in September 2006.

7 Corporate aims and the five outcomes of the Children Act

7.1 The proposals in this paper link to the following corporate aims:

7.2 · Aim 1 - maximising life opportunities, by developing strategies for the most appropriate educational provision;

7.3 · Aim 4 - building strong and safe communities, by taking full account of community and neighbourhood issues when deciding upon how best to meet the demand for school and college places;

7.4 · Aim 5 - improving services, by considering solutions which will contribute to the raising of educational standards.

7.5 This proposal is in support of the requirement of the County Council to deliver the five outcomes of the Children Act. Post 16 provision which offers varied and appropriate routes for all learners is essential for the achievement of economic well-being. The opportunity to study in vibrant groups of reasonable diversity allows young people to enjoy and achieve and prepares them to make a positive contribution through employment or higher and further education. A small sixth form cannot offer these opportunities and lack of financial viability has the potential to adversely affect both post-16 and pre-16 choice and delivery.

Recommendation

That local consultations be undertaken on the proposal that the sixth form at Frogmore Community College should close.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - Background Documents

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB The list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

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