Decision details

Consideration was given to the outcomes of the informal consultations held on the options identified by the Locality Review and the subsequent recommendations. 

RESOLVED

For the reasons set out in the report: -

That the proposed actions by the County Council in respect of the Alsager, Congleton, Sandbach and Holmes Chapel Transforming Learning Communities Review, following the recommendations made by Cheshire County Council’s School Planning Select Panel on the 1 September 2008 be endorsed as follows: -

• To authorise statutory public consultation on the possible closure of Church Lawton Primary School with effect from September 2009;

• To authorise statutory public consultation on the reduction in the net capacity of Offley Primary School to 315 places located in a single building, and the alternative use of the premises of the former Offley Infant School as a centre for delivering 14-19 education for the locality to be investigated; the reduction in the net capacity of Sandbach Primary School to 105 places with the Children’s Centre for Sandbach and co-located Children’s Services in the released accommodation;

• To authorise to invite the Chester Diocesan Board of Education and the Governors of Chelford CE Primary School to develop proposals for the revision of the school’s net capacity to 60 by re-designation of the use of one classroom in such a way that future potential use of the building for an expanded Chelford CE Primary School, should this become warranted, is not compromised;

• To submit to the Cheshire East Unitary Authority information relating to pupil numbers in the Holmes Chapel area together with the proposed means for reducing capacity at Holmes Chapel Primary School should this be warranted at a future date;

• To authorise consultations and to request officers to develop proposals in respect of the group of schools identified for potential Federations, as described below:

Chelford CE VC, Peover Superior Endowed, Lower Peover CE VA, Marton and District CE VA, Brereton

CE VA, Smallwood CEVC, Astbury St Mary’s CE VA, Scholar Green, Woodcocks’ Well CE VC and Goostrey Community;

• To authorise statutory consultation as part of the admission arrangements for September 2010 in respect of changes in Published Admission Numbers:

Note: these are changes needed to align net capacity and PAN in the light of current use of accommodation

• To authoriseconsultation as part of the admission arrangements for September 2010 on reduction in the published admission number for Cranberry Primary School from 45 to 30, and to ask officers to develop proposals for the use of the released former infant school building which retained it for use as a nursery and which enable the development of co-located Children’s Services in such a way that future potential use of the building for an expanded Cranberry Primary School, should this become warranted, is not compromised;

• To authorise consultation as part of the admission arrangements for September 2010 on the reduction in the published admission number for Daven Primary School from 60 to 30 to give a capacity of 210, with the released accommodation becoming available as a centre to support multi-agency working in the Congleton locality. There should be a review of the operation of primary school catchment areas in and around Congleton.