Agenda item

To receive and consider the attached report of the Director of Children and Families Service, on proposals to permanently expand primary school provision at Moor Allerton Hall Primary School (PS) from 2 Form Entry to 3 Form Entry. Additionally, permission is sought to publish a Statutory Notice in respect of these proposals. The report seeks consideration of the response to the representations received and to make a recommendation to the Executive Board to assist in reaching a final decision on the proposal.

The report describes the proposal, brought forward as part of a programme of expansion of primary provision to ensure the local authority meets its legal duty to secure sufficient school places; and the representations received.

The proposal being to permanently expand primary provision at Moor Allerton Hall Primary School from a capacity of 420 pupils to 630 pupils with an increase in the admission number from 60 to 90 with effect from September 2019.

(Report attached)

The School Organisation Advisory Board considered a report by the Sufficiency and Participation Team regarding the outcome of a statutory notice on proposals to expand Moor Allerton Hall Primary School from a 2 Form Entry school to a 3 Form Entry School with effect from September 2019. The Board noted that the proposal would increase the capacity of Moor Allerton Hall Primary School from 420 pupils to 630 pupils, with an increase in the school admission number from 60, to 90 pupils.

The Board considered the proposals having regard to the following documents:

·  The report of the Legal Adviser to the Board

·  The report of the Sufficiency and Participation Team, Children and Families Service

·  The consultation booklet entitled “School Places Public Consultation – Proposal to permanently expand Moor Allerton Hall Primary School  from September 2019”

·  Report of the Director of Children and Families to Executive Board 27^th June 2018 entitled “Outcome of consultation on proposals to increase learning places at Moor Allerton Hall Primary School”.

·  An equality, diversity, cohesion and integration screening document associated with the proposals

·  The Notice publicising the consultation published 2^nd July 2018 “Proposal to permanently expand Moor Allerton Hall Primary School, Lidgett Lane, Leeds, LS17 6 QP to create an additional 210 primary places with effect from 1^st September 2019

·  Written representations were received from eight members of the public who were objecting to the proposal, with a further eleven responses being received containing comments on the proposal.

Mr D Crawley, Sufficiency Planning Manager (Strategic), Children & Families, attended the meeting together with Ms T Waud, Planning Manager

Sufficiency & Participation Team. Mr Crawley addressed the proposals and highlighted the following matters in particular:

·  There continued to be pressure for school places in the Roundhay area

·  Based on straight line measurements, each year there are in excess of 100 children whose nearest school is Talbot Primary

·  Additional permanent school places have already been created at several schools across the Roundhay/ Wigton area including: Gledhow Primary, Roundhay Primary, Highfield Primary and Wigton Moor Primary. In addition to this a number of temporary bulge places have been created at some of the other schools.

·  No alternative options for additional places in the area of need if proposal does not proceed

·  An application to create a new free school which would increase capacity in the area had recently been withdrawn

·  The proposals would provide additional primary provision in the Roundhay and North Leeds area.

·  Eight objections were received together with eleven responses containing comments on the proposal

In response to questions from the Board, the following issues were discussed:

·  The proposal seeks to expand a school which is continually undersubscribed and categorised as “requires improvement”

·  Is it appropriate to expand a school which is undersubscribed and requires improvement

·  Had a catchment area option been considered

·  Was the population of the area increasing

·  Were there any substantial housing proposals planned for the area

·  Had full consideration been given to further expansion of existing schools in the area

·  There continues to be significant highway/traffic issues in the area, expanding a school and adding a further 210 pupils would not help the existing highway situation in the area where current issues remained outstanding

·  This was an ambitious and complex plan

·  The timescale for a start date of 1^st September 2019 was challenging 

The Board were informed that the Headteacher and Governing Body were confident that they could manage the expansion of the school whilst continuing to demonstrate improvements in relation to the school’s learning improvement journey but no details were available

The Board also received verbal representations from the following individuals who were objecting to the proposals:

Saul Clayton – Local Resident

Andrew Kirby – A Roundhay resident with a child of Primary School age

(Both representatives had already provided written representations which were included in the agenda documentation)

The Chair requested all parties to leave the room in order to discuss the proposals. The Board considered the comments raised during the statutory notice period, the contents of the report, the contents of the representations submitted by members of the public during the consultation and the responses to the questions put to Mr Crawley.

The groups entitled to vote and in attendance i.e. Roman Catholic Church Diocese, Schools Group and the Governors Group, were unanimous in their decision to recommend rejection of the proposal for the expansion of Moor Allerton Hall, Primary School.

The Board recognised the need for further school places in the area but were not supportive of the proposal to expand a school which was continually undersubscribed and required improvement, any expansion would place an unwelcome burden on the school’s leadership team to deliver improvement. The proposal would not aid parental preference and there were also significant highway issues that required addressing

RESOLVED – It was the unanimous view of the School Organisation Advisory Board that the Executive Board be recommended to reject the proposals to permanently expand primary provision at Moor Allerton Hall Primary School from a capacity of 420 pupils to 630 pupils with an increase in the admission number from 60 to 90 with effect from September 2019.