Transforming secondary education in North Lincolnshire - second round of consultation ended 12 April 2006
Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is a once in a generation chance to invest in secondary schools. The Government is making £62m (now £88m) available to rebuild or modernise six schools in Scunthorpe. These are good schools with excellent staff and improving results. But the investment will provide superb buildings with advanced ICT and community facilities. The consultation process is to ensure everyone's views are heard.
The first round of consultation on the options for each school ended on 3 March 2006. This included public meetings, discussions with governing bodies, staff, groups of pupils, town councils and focus groups.
We also received over 180 written responses. These helped us to assess the different options.
The second round of consultation started on 20 March 2006 and ran until 12 April 2006. We again held 'drop-in' meetings at the six secondary schools in the project.
Parents, pupils, governors and staff at the schools or their primary feeder schools were all welcome to come and discuss the project with council officers and elected members.
What have we done since the first consultation?
We've looked at all options - those we proposed and those suggested in the consultation - and chosen an option that we believe is the best way forward for each school.
All consultation responses were carefully considered. Every effort has been made to take your views into account - where we cannot do what you suggest we say why.
We have held detailed discussions with headteachers and governors.
What we have to do now to get the BSF grant?
There is a grant of £62m (now £80m) at stake. To get this money our plans must meet government rules. We need to show the government how the investment will benefit each school. The plan must include the right size of school for each area of town.
Key dates included:
- Foxhills Technology College - Monday 20 March 2006
- Brumby Engineering College - Wednesday 22 March 2006
- High Ridge School Specialist Sports College - Thursday 23 March 2006
- Thomas Sumpter School - A Specialist College in English & Media Arts - Monday 27 March 2006
- Frederick Gough School - A Specialist Language College - Tuesday 28 March 2006
- South Leys Business and Enterprise College - Wednesday 29 March 2006
All meetings took place from 6pm to 7.30pm.
The issues - school by school
Below we've summarised the main issues for each school - its current circumstances, what you said in the consultation, and the preferred option. We also explain why other options put forward are not practical or were not supported.
South Leys School
The issues
- The school is projected to have 350 pupils by 2011 - this is too small to provide good teaching in all subjects
- Merger with another school is needed to guarantee government funding
- Could become an academy
What you said
- This is a successful school and should remain on the site
- Pupils will not mix with those from other parts of town
- There will be an impact on the local community if there is no longer a school on South Leys site
- Options considered
- Let South Leys stay as it is - but pupils will miss out on high quality buildings and be at a serious disadvantage as budgets shrink when numbers reduce. This option means the whole £62m (now £80m) for the area would be lost
- Change catchment areas to make more pupils go to South Leys - but if parental preferences matched existing catchment areas there wouldn't be this problem
- Reduce places in other schools to force more pupils to go to South Leys - but this is against government policy and denies parental preferences
- Create an all-through 3-16 school at South Leys - but the secondary part of that bigger school would still be too small to work
- If schools must merge, use the South Leys site - but this would mean Thomas Sumpter pupils having to travel much further
The preferred option
- Build a new school for South Leys and Thomas Sumpter pupils on Manor Park, subject to planning approval
- This means the bid to government will be successful
- Minimises additional travel for pupils
- There will be new facilities for all pupils
- Plan to use the South Leys site for the benefit of the whole community
- Builds on the success of the two schools, with excellent staff, committed governors, improving results and community links
Thomas Sumpter School
The issues
- School building in poor condition - an all new construction is needed
- Government expects any new school in this area of town to include South Leys pupils
- Could become an academy
What you said
- This is a successful school and should not be merged
- Any new provision should be on existing site
- Pupils will not mix with those from other parts of town
Options considered
- Build a new school only to replace current buildings - but this likely to be too small for area's needs
- Create an all-through 3-16 school for Thomas Sumpter - but this does not address the issue of numbers in the area
- Change catchment areas to make more pupils go to South Leys, which means Thomas Sumpter would not have to merge - but if parental preferences matched existing catchment areas there wouldn't be this problem
- Reduce places in other schools to force more pupils to go to South Leys - but this is against government policy and denies parental preferences
- If schools must merge, use the Thomas Sumpter site - but this would mean South Leys pupils having to travel much further
The preferred option
- Build a new school for Thomas Sumpter and South Leys pupils on Manor Park, subject to planning approval
- This means the bid to government will be successful
- Minimises additional travel for pupils
- New facilities for all pupils
- Plan to use the Thomas Sumpter site for the benefit of the whole community
- Builds on the success of the two schools, with excellent staff, committed governors, improving results and community links
High Ridge School
The issues
- Building is in poor condition
- Pupil numbers to be around 550 for a new school
- Could become an academy
What you said
- Parents deliberately choose High Ridge because of its size
- Do not want to merge to form a bigger school
- Facilities need modernising
- Better sports and IT provision needed
Options considered
- A merger of the school with Foxhills was considered - but consultation replies said this would be too big. Also the government would not require a merger to guarantee the £62m (now £80m) government funding.
The preferred option
- Build a new school on an adjacent site, subject to sufficient funding and planning approval.
- There will be new facilities for all pupils.
Brumby School
The issues
- Pupil numbers stable at around 750
- Some buildings need replacing
- Others can be modernised
- Could become an academy
What you said
- School needs modern facilities
- Sports and recreation to be improved
- Involve pupils in decision making
Options considered - only one option identified
Our preferred option
- Replace some buildings where possible, subject to budget
- Modernise other buildings
Foxhills School
The issues
- Pupil numbers will go up as new housing is built
- Buildings need modernising
What you said
- No to a merger with High Ridge - the school would be too big
- Current numbers are about right
Options considered
- A merger of the school with High Ridge was considered - but consultation replies said this would be too big. Also the government would not require a merger to guarantee the £62m (now £80m) government funding.
The preferred option
- Refurbish school on existing site
- There will be modernised facilities for all pupils
Frederick Gough School
The issues
- Pupil numbers are stable at around 1,200
- Pupils coming from new housing will only maintain this number of pupils
- General modernisation needed
- Better sports facilities also needed
What you said
- Buildings need updating
- Better sporting facilities, including a sports hall
Options considered - only one option identified
Our preferred option
- Modernise current buildings
- Improve sporting facilities, subject to budget
Catchment areas
Every school has a catchment area - it simply defines the places where local children live.
Parents can ask to send their children to any school - that school must accept them if a place is available.
So parental choice over-rides catchment areas. Redrawing a catchment area will not affect the number of children attending a school.
Academies
You may have heard about the government's academies programme.
Some North Lincolnshire schools have recent exam results that make them eligible for academy status - South Leys, Thomas Sumpter and High Ridge. These are not failing schools, but an academy could help to improve results.
An academy is not part of the local council and is run independently by a sponsor, in a new building.
It has more freedom to decide what is taught.
Going for an academy status is separate from Building Schools for the Future. But once agreement is reached, any new academy would be built under the same contract as all the other schools. There will be separate consultations about academies.
What happens next?
We want to hear your views on the preferred options and the plans to improve secondary schools.
Next, North Lincolnshire Council's Cabinet will decide which options to put to the Government. We can then start work on plans for each school.
Further detailed work will then take place over the summer. Only then will we make another submission to the government, when our options must be finalised.
This round of consultation has now closed.