The Head of Services for Children and Families to update the Committee on proposals to re-organise schools in Macclesfield.
Minutes:
Lorraine Butcher Head of Service Children and Families reported on the consultation on the future of Macclesfield High School.
Lorraine outlined the context of the current consultation which emanated from the closure of Ryles Park High School on 31 August 2004.This was followed by an unsuccessful pathfinder bid to build a new school.
In February 2004, the Macclesfield Secondary Schools Re-organisation Members Panel agreed to consult on the re-design and modernisation of existing buildings on either the Henbury High or Park Lane site. The creation of a 6 form entry school at Park Lane became the County Council’s preferred option and in September 2007, Macclesfield High School opened on the Park lane site costing approximately £28m, including funding from the NWDA.
The new school then continued to produce declining standards , for instance:
· 2007 – 5A*-C GCSE including English and Maths = 35%
· 2009 – 5A*-C GCSE including English and Maths = 32%
In August 2009, the Chair of Governors sought support from the Council regarding the future of the school.
Ofsted issued a notice to improve following an inspection.
All of these issues were against a backdrop of surplus school places in Macclesfield, and it was predicted that the projected secondary roll across Macclesfield of 3900 by 2015 could be accommodated in 3 school and that Macclesfield High School would have a surplus of 28% by this date.
Lorraine also pointed to the demographics within Macclesfield which pointed to the fact that Macclesfield High currently had and was likely to continue to have the highest intake of pupils living within the most deprived areas in Macclesfield. Advice was currently being taken on the possibility of reviewing admission arrangements.
There were 8 options for consideration :
A No change: Macclesfield High continues in its current form
B Establish a Macclesfield Academy involving Macclesfield High School with another local high school
C Establish a single Trust working across the schools in Macclesfield(with the closure of Macclesfield High)
D Create a 3-19 school which integrates a local primary school on the Macclesfield High School site
E Re-launch Macclesfield High School as a specialist vocational/technical school
F Close Macclesfield High School and redistribute pupils across the remaining secondary schools
G Us the Macclesfield High School site for post 16 provision for the whole town
H Current Macclesfield Schools each lose one form entry to Macclesfield High School .
The Council had recently met with all Heads of schools in Macclesfield and the principal of Macclesfield college and although this group had distilled the 8 original options into 3, the favoured option was option E.
The Council believed however that the decision on formal consultation should be deferred but that informal consultations should take place up to Friday 8 October 2010. This would allow all options to be explored in greater depth.
In the meantime, it was also suggested that advice be sought from Cheshire East Admissions Forum on admission arrangements in Macclesfield, and that further discussions take place with David Rutley MP in light of new information from the Government.
RESOLVED – That consideration of this matter be deferred to a special meeting of this Committee on a date to be determined to consider a full and comprehensive report on all the issues surrounding the future of Macclesfield High School.