Agenda and minutes

None.

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any personal and/or prejudicial interests in any item on the agenda

The following Members made declarations of interest in respect of agenda item 5 (Macclesfield High School Review) on the basis of their governorships of the schools indicated–

Councillor J P Findlow: Fallibroome High School, Macclesfield.

                                    Tytherington High School, Macclesfield.

Councillor W Livesley: The Marlborough Primary School, Tytherington.

Councillor D Neilson: Puss Bank Primary School, Macclesfield.

No other declarations of interest were made.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 24^th June 2010.

RESOLVED

That the minutes be approved as a correct record.

In accordance with Procedure Rules Nos.11 and 35 a period of 10 minutes is allocated for members of the public to address the meeting on any matter relevant to the work of the meeting. Individual members of the public may speak for up to 5 minutes but the Chairman will decide how the period of time allocated for public speaking will be apportioned where there are a number of speakers. Members of the public are not required to give notice to use this facility. However, as a matter of courtesy, a period of 24 hours’ notice is encouraged.

Members of the public wishing to ask a question at the meeting should provide three clear working days’ notice, in writing, in order for an informed answer to be given.

In accordance with Procedure Rules Nos. 11 and 35 a period of 10 minutes had been allocated for members of the public to address the meeting on any matter relevant to the work of the meeting. This was extended to 15 minutes at the discretion of the Cabinet Member for Children and Family Services.

The Cabinet Member invited members of the public to address the meeting. 

Five members of the public addressed the meeting, each commenting on the proposal to close Macclesfield High School and replace it with an Academy.

To consider a report outlining the proposal to close Macclesfield High School and to replace it with an Academy.

The Cabinet Member made an opening statement about agenda item 5 - Macclesfield High School Review.  She outlined the issues relating to the proposal before inviting the Director of Children’s Services to address the meeting.

In her opening remarks to the meeting, the Director of Children’s Services outlined the background, options and reasons for the decision the Cabinet Member was being asked to take. Full details were set out in the report.

Dr Wendy Wright, the Principal of Macclesfield College, was present at the meeting and was invited to speak. She expressed her full support for the proposals outlined in the report.

The Cabinet Member then invited a member of public to read out a question which she had formally submitted prior to the meeting. An oral response to the question was made by the Cabinet Member.

Local Ward Councillors were also invited to address the meeting. Councillors J P Findlow, W Livesley and D Neilson made a number of comments in relation to the proposal about which they were broadly supportive, and sought clarification of certain aspects to which the Cabinet Member and Officers responded.

RESOLVED

That the Cabinet Member for Children and Family Services approves

(1)   the commencement of statutory formal consultation on the proposal to close Macclesfield High School upon the establishment of an 11-16 Academy on the Macclesfield High School site with a pupil admission number of 120;

(2)   that Cheshire East Council continue to liaise with the Department for Education in respect of the establishment of an Academy for the site, it being acknowledged that Cheshire East Council’s preferred Academy sponsor would be Macclesfield College (para 9.9-9.11); and

(3)   that the Council continue to liaise with the Department for Education about any further sponsorship options that may emerge in order to ensure that full information is available to the decision maker following consultation as to the future of Macclesfield High School.