PFI updates
The following letter was sent to the parents/carers of all pupils in Elizabethan High, Portland, Retford Oaks High, St Giles, Tuxford and Valley Schools plus associated feeder primary schools week beginning 11 July 2005.
Dear Parent/Carer
Bassetlaw Schools’ Project – update on progress
The purpose of this letter is to provide you with an update on the progress of the project to deliver brand new secondary school accommodation in Retford, Tuxford and Worksop, together with separate purpose-built Post-16 Centres for Retford and Worksop.
In my previous letter earlier this year I informed you that the County Council has selected ‘Transform Schools’ – a consortium led by Balfour Beatty, as the preferred bidder and since then a considerable amount of detailed work has been taking place to finalise the contract.
I am now pleased to inform you that all of the necessary planning permissions, approval for highways work and land transactions have been completed and the contract has now been signed. These negotiations and the legal detail of the contract has taken somewhat longer to finalise than was originally envisaged for this extremely complex, large-scale project and the County Council has been taking every possible step to ensure that it gets the very best deal it can for today’s children and the future generations.
Whilst all of the essential background work has been taking place there has been nothing to see in terms of development on the building sites but now that the preparation and planning has been completed the construction work will begin in earnest. Overall the legal work has taken two to three months longer to complete than the proposed timescale and we are now awaiting a revised detailed construction programme from the contractor. Once this has been produced we will be in a better position to know when the pupils and staff can occupy the new premises. We will then need detailed planning to ensure a smooth transition from the old buildings to the new.
I am arranging with Transform Schools some open evenings when pupils, parents and the wider community can see the plans and designs for the new schools and can talk to staff from Transform Schools and the County Council about them. I will ensure that you get ample notification of the dates of these meetings which will be arranged for the early part of next term.
I am delighted that we have finally reached the point where the backroom work is all completed and we all now look forward to seeing the brand-new, state-of-the-art schools beginning to take shape and become a reality in Bassetlaw.
Yours sincerely
Pam Tulley
Director of Education
The following letter was sent to the parents/carers of all pupils in Bassetlaw Phase 1 and Phase 2 secondary schools plus the associated feeder primary schools and St Giles Special School on 24 January 2005.
Dear Parent/Carer
Bassetlaw Schools’ Project - Update on Progress
At the beginning of the year I write to provide you with an update on the progress of the project to deliver brand new secondary school accommodation in Retford, Tuxford and Worksop together with purpose-built post 16 centres for Retford and Worksop.
As you will know from my earlier communications the County Council have selected ‘Transform Schools’ - a consortium led by Balfour Beatty, as the preferred bidder and we are now in the process of finalising negotiations to complete the contract.
This contract covers all aspects of the scheme including the design of the new school buildings, the arrangements for the management and oversight of the buildings for the next 25 years, the payments involved, and all of the legal elements of the framework. One key part of the process is approval of the various planning applications and these are due to be considered at a meeting of the County Council Planning and Licensing Committee on 25 January 2005.
Assuming that all of the necessary approvals are received, and the contract is duly signed, it is anticipated that construction will begin on sites across Phase 1 (Retford and Tuxford) in the next few months. The construction programme envisages that Retford Oaks High School, Elizabethan High School, St Giles Special School and Tuxford School will all be ready to open in 2006 with Valley School, Portland School and both of the post-16 centres being ready to open the following year in 2007.
As both of the post-16 centres are in the second phase of the project it will be necessary to house all of the post-16 students in a temporary centre for one year in Retford whilst the new building is completed. This will be achieved by retaining the use of the Elizabethan Upper School buildings for one year (2006/07) to house all of the post-16 students (the students in the 11-16 age range at Elizabethan High School will have moved into their brand new building on Hallcroft Road by that time).
At the same time the construction work for the Retford post-16 centre and the Retford Leisure Centre will be taking place on the Retford Oaks High School site at Ordsall Hall.
To enable parents and students to get a full understanding of how the new schools will look, County Council Officers together with colleagues from Transform Schools will be setting up a series of presentations showing plans, models etc. of the new buildings, once these are finalised. This will give people every opportunity to look at the plans and raise questions with the appropriate specialists. I will write to you again with an invitation to attend these presentation evening(s) once the dates have been arranged.
Yours sincerely
Pam Tulley
Director of Education
The following letter was sent to all parents and carers of pupils at Retford Oaks High School, Elizabethan High School, St Giles Special School plus feeder primaries for Retford Oaks and Elizabethan High Schools on 6 October 2004.
Dear Parent/Carer
Retford Post-16 Centre
You will recall that I wrote to you on 22 April 2004 regarding the siting of the new Retford Post-16 Centre. In that letter I emphasised the County Council’s preferred option - to create the new Retford Post-16 Centre on the Retford Oaks High School Upper Site (the former King Edward VI site on London Road) by developing the listed building. I also made you aware of the fall-back position which would place the Post-16 Centre on the Retford Oaks High School Lower Site (the former Ordsall Hall site).
The reason that the County Council required the fall-back option was because the preferred site on London Road does not belong to the local authority and, consequently, we have been in earnest negotiation with the King Edward VI Trustees to endeavour to secure an appropriate long-term lease. This is a complex legal process which not only involves the County Council and the Trustees, but also the Charity Commission, English Heritage and the Land Registry.
Throughout the process the Trustees have been fully behind the proposals and they have made every effort to meet the project deadlines but, unfortunately, time is running out and a formal decision will have to be made in order to allow all of the new schools to open on time.
The Cabinet of the County Council will meet on 13 October 2004 to consider the matter and as it has not proved possible to secure an appropriate legally binding interest in the former King Edward VI site on London Road, the risk to the County Council in pursuing this option is considered too great. It could have far-reaching financial and legal consequences under the detailed terms of the PFI contract. Hence, the recommendation to Cabinet will be to locate the Retford Post-16 Centre on the site of the current Retford Oaks High School at Ordsall, a site that is owned by the County Council. Under the PFI scheme the Retford Oaks pupils in the 11-16 age range will be relocating to new accommodation on Babworth Road with effect from September 2006. This will leave room to locate the new Post-16 Centre adjacent to the new proposed Leisure Centre to be funded by Bassetlaw District Council on the Ordsall site.
There are numerous benefits for putting the Post-16 Centre on this site, one of them being the synergy with the new proposed leisure centre and the sharing of access and facilities such as parking. The location next to the leisure centre will also bring health and leisure benefits to the post-16 students in promoting a healthy lifestyle.
The County Council’s situation has been explained to the King Edward VI Trustees and they have been notified that the Cabinet will be receiving this revised recommendation at their meeting on 13 October 2004. Support has also been offered to the Trustees to help them to find an alternative use for the London Road building, which will preserve it as a local landmark for the community.
In conclusion, once the decision has been taken at the Cabinet meeting on 13 October 2004 the PFI consortium ‘Transform Schools’, led by Balfour Beatty, will be rapidly progressing the work to get on with building the new accommodation across Bassetlaw.
I will be writing out to you again in the near future with regard to opportunities for you to come along to meetings to see the proposed designs and in the meantime you can always obtain information by visiting the Bassetlaw PFI Project website at:
www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/home/learningandwork/bassetlawpfi
Yours sincerely
Pam Tulley
Director of Education
The following letter was sent to the parents/carers of all pupils in Bassetlaw Phase 1 and Phase 2 secondary schools, plus the associated feeder primary schools and St Giles Special School on 15 September 2004.
Dear Parent/Carer
Re: Bassetlaw Secondary Schools’ PFI Project
As you know from my previous letters and also information in the local media, some time ago the County Council made a very successful bid for government PFI funding to build brand new accommodation for the Bassetlaw secondary schools, two new Post-16 Centres and also St Giles Special School. Since that was first announced a lot of work has been going on in preparation for the new building programme and most importantly companies have been bidding to undertake the work on behalf of the County Council.
I am now writing to let you know personally that at a meeting earlier today, the County Council’s Cabinet selected the PFI consortium known as ‘Transform Schools’ - led by Balfour Beatty, to build and maintain the new schools from September 2006. This decision formally becomes effective at the end of the ‘call in’ period, scheduled for the 28 September 2004.
Although this is a significant milestone in the planning of the project, I do appreciate that it maybe of less direct significance to you as parents/carers. Nevertheless, it is likely to generate some interest in the local press and I wanted to be able to inform you of the decision rather than simply let you hear of it through the local media.
Now that the PFI Consortium has been selected for the Bassetlaw project, we will be planning a number of events over the coming weeks to enable you to see the detailed designs and other aspects of the new schools. I will be writing to you with further information about this in due course and in the meantime you can keep up with developments by accessing the Bassetlaw PFI website at: www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/home/learningandwork/bassetlawpfi
In conclusion, I appreciate that everybody will be anxious to see the most exciting phase when the new schools start to take shape. Indeed once the detailed preparations are completed, the building work will be commencing in the Spring of next year. The Phase 1 schools in Retford and Tuxford are scheduled to open in September 2006 and the Phase 2 schools in Worksop together with the two Post-16 Centres, the following year.
I know that you will share my delight at the prospect of having state-of-the-art secondary/special schools and cutting edge post-16 facilities for the benefit of many future generations of students from across Bassetlaw.
Yours sincerely
Pam Tulley
Director of Education
The following letter was sent to parents and carers of all primary and secondary school pupils in Bassetlaw on 12 July 2004:
Dear Parent/Carer
Bassetlaw Secondary Schools – An Update
As you will be aware, last year the County Council received the excellent news that the bid for the final phase of funding to rebuild/remodel all secondary schools across Bassetlaw and build specialist post-16 centres in Retford and Worksop, had been accepted.
Since the announcement a number of letters have been distributed and consultation meetings held, in order to keep you informed of developments that are taking place. However, I thought it would be useful to provide an ‘end of term’ update on how the whole scheme is progressing.
Overall £126.6 million has been awarded to fund the project which will be carried out in two phases. Schools in Phase I (Elizabethan High, Retford Oaks High, St. Giles and Tuxford Comprehensive) are scheduled to open in September 2006 and schools in Phase II (Portland and Valley Comprehensives) along with both of the new Post-16 Centres, are scheduled to open in September 2007. The intention is to use the former King Edward VI site off London Road for the Retford Post-16 Centre with a fall-back option of building the Centre on the Ordsall Hall campus if the legalities surrounding the transfer of ownership of the King Edward VI site prove impossible to resolve within the time available. The Worksop Post-16 Centre will be sited on the land between Valley Road and Carlton Road within easy walking distance of North Nottinghamshire College of Further Education.
Following a detailed feasibility study and full consultation exercise, the decision has also been taken to relocate St. Giles Special School from its present position in Retford and rebuild it on the Babworth Road site, adjacent to the new RetfordOaksHigh School. This will provide first-class, state-of-the-art facilities for all of the students and staff concerned.
You may also know from recent consultations and media reports that it has been agreed to close HartlandSchool and reduce the number of secondary schools in Worksop from three to two.
The new ValleySchool will be built on its existing site and the new, enlarged PortlandSchool will be built on the Sparken Hill site. To clarify any possible misunderstandings, there are no proposals to sell off any land for housing on the ValleySchool site and there will be no overall loss of open space on the school site. The new PortlandSchool will be designed and sited on the Sparken Hill campus to minimise disruption to local residents, whilst at the same time allowing the smooth transfer of pupils from the bus park on Netherton Road to the school.
The Hartland School will close at the end of the current term and the Portland School will be significantly enlarged with effect from the beginning of the Autumn Term 2004 and the new premises will open in September 2007. In the intervening period the pupils in the enlarged Portland School will have the use of all of the existing buildings on the Hartland/Portland site and considerable work is presently underway to adapt the buildings for use as a single school for the next three years.
With regard to re-organisation at Bircotes and Harworth, on 21 July 2004 the Cabinet of the County Council will be considering a proposal to consult local people during the Autumn Term 2004 on the creation of an all-through 3-18 school based upon the present secondary school and North Border Infant and Junior schools. This will be funded outside the existing PFI project.
The two short-listed companies who are bidding to build and maintain the new schools have recently presented possible designs for the Phase I schools. Detailed information regarding the proposed Phase II schools and the two Post-16 Centres is currently being compiled by the companies and will shortly be given to the County Council. In September the successful company will be chosen and their designs for all the new buildings will be displayed in the schools and in the media and you will be invited to see drawings and models. You will also have the opportunity to make comments.
So, the detailed planning is proceeding on schedule and once we get to the Autumn Term the new schools will begin to take shape in design terms and we will send out further information early next term. Meanwhile may I remind you of the website address where you can log on to keep up with progress at any time.
www.nottinghamshirecc.gov.uk/home/learning_and_work/bassetlawpfi
Yours sincerely
Pam Tulley
Director of Education
The following letter was sent to parents and carers of pupils at Hartland School, New Manton Primary, Priory C of E, Ryton Park Primary, St Anne’s C of E, St Augustine’s Infant, St Augustine’s Junior, Portland School, Dyscarr Community, Gateford Park Primary, Haggonfields Primary, Kingston Park Primary, Ramsden Primary, St Luke’s C of E Primary on 26 April 2004:
Dear Parent / Carer
Closure of Hartland School and Enlargement of Portland School
As you are aware some while ago Statutory Notices were issued by the County Council, proposing the closure of Hartland School with effect from the end of the Summer Term 2004 and the enlargement of the Portland School with effect from 1 September 2004. I write to inform you that the statutory processes have now been formally completed and it was decided by the Schools Organisation Committee at a meeting on 21 April 2004, that the Hartland School will close at the end of the current term. It was further agreed that the Portland School will be significantly enlarged with effect from the beginning of the Autumn Term 2004.
All pupils currently in Years 7 to 12 at the Hartland School will have a place made available at the enlarged Portland School with effect from the beginning of the new school year in September 2004 and pupils currently in Year 6 in St Anne’s C E Primary, St Augustine’s Junior, Manton Primary and Priory C E Primary schools will be offered a place in the enlarged Portland School for September 2004. Pupils currently in Year 6 at Ryton Park Primary School will be offered a place at the Valley School for September 2004. Details of the transfer arrangements will be sent to the individuals concerned during the next few weeks.
With regard to the preparations for the new term at the enlarged Portland School, the staffing structure has been agreed and posts are being filled. A broad, balanced curriculum structure has been established which will provide ongoing continuity for pupils preparing for examinations and the new integrated timetable is being constructed.
Over the next few months considerable remodelling and refurbishment of the buildings will be taking place to give the school the best accommodation possible for the next three years prior to the opening of the brand new school building on the Sparken Hill campus.
We now look forward with optimism as a new chapter opens for the pupils, staff, parents and governors associated with the Sparken Hill site. We aim to provide a first rate education for all of the pupils and it is our earnest hope that the recent difficulties can now be put behind us as we work together for the future.
Yours sincerely
Pam Tulley
Director of Education
The following letter was sent on 22 April 2004 to parents and carers of pupils at:Retford Oaks High School, Elizabethan High School, St Giles Special School plus feeder primaries for Retford Oaks and Elizabethan High School
Dear Parent Carer
Retford Post-16 Centre
As you are aware, some time ago in the Spring of 2001, the County Council received the excellent news that the bid for PFI funding to rebuild/remodel secondary schools across Bassetlaw and build specialist post-16 centres in Retford and Worksop, had been accepted.
Overall £126.6 million PFI credits have been awarded to fund the project which will be carried out in two phases. Schools in Phase I (Retford and Tuxford) are scheduled to open in September 2006 and schools in Phase II (Worksop) are scheduled to open in September 2007 along with both of the new Post-16 Centres.
The initial vision for the Post-16 Centre in Retford was to develop the former King Edward VI building on London Road. This still remains the priority but as the buildings are not owned by the County Council, the legalities of transfer are in the hands of the King Edward VI Trustees. The County Council must have legal rights to use the building before any contract with a PFI contractor can be signed and clearly there is a need to achieve this within the agreed timescale. The Trustees are fully behind the proposals and are making every effort to meet the deadlines for handing over the buildings but unfortunately resolving the matter is not solely in their hands.
Establishing land ownership and issues of governance is proving to have a number of legal complications and when dealing with an ancient trust the process of bringing everything to a mutually agreed conclusion can be extremely time consuming.
Consequently, in order to avoid putting the whole project in jeopardy a contingency plan has now been prepared to give a fall-back position in the event that the transfer of ownership of the King Edward VI building does not get completed in time.
The County Council already own the land at Retford Oaks High School Lower Site (Ordsall Hall) and there is sufficient space available to build the Post-16 Centre adjacent to the existing Leisure Centre. The site is not as close to the town centre as the London Road site but is does have the advantage of the leisure facilities close by and considerable space for parking. Both of these factors could be of significant benefit to the future users of the centre.
The fall-back position would therefore be to use this alternative site for the Retford Post-16 Centre if the first option proved not deliverable within the timeframe of the project. This would allow the completion of the schools and the Post-16 centre to take place as planned and the King Edward VI Trustees would retain control of the London Road building which could then be considered for alternative uses.
In the light of this potential alteration to the original proposal we would welcome the opportunity of consulting local stakeholders and to facilitate this two public drop-in consultation evenings have been arranged as follows:-
Retford Oaks High School (Lower site) 6.00 pm - 8.30 pm, 27 April 2004
Elizabethan High School (Upper site) 6.00 pm - 8.30 pm, 28 April 2004
Please come along to discuss the issues and let us have your views.
Yours sincerely
Pam Tulley
Director of Education
The following letter was sent on 29 January 2004 to parents and carers of all pupils attending:
Hartland and Portland Comprehensive Schools, Manton Primary School, Priory CE Primary School, Ryton Park Primary School, St. Anne’s CE Primary School, St Augustine’s Infant School, St. Augustine’s Junior School, Langold Dyscarr Primary School, Gateford Park Primary School, Haggonfields Primary School, Kingston Park Primary School, Ramsden Primary School, St Luke’s CE Primary School
Dear Parent/Carer
Proposed Closure of Hartland School and Enlargement of Portland School
As you are aware, statutory notices were issued on 14 November 2003 which proposed the closure of Hartland School at the end of the summer term 2004 and the enlargement of Portland School with effect from 1 September 2004. These Notices were then subsequently withdrawn on 19 December 2003 to allow a period of further consultation to take place.
The consultation period ended on 16 January 2004 and in light of the issues raised during the consultation the Cabinet of the County Council has now reconsidered the position.
Having listened carefully to the views expressed the Cabinet came to the conclusion at a meeting held on 28 January 2004 that the right thing to do in the best interests of the future education of the pupils concerned is to reinstate the statutory notices with effect from 30 January 2004, recommending the closure of Hartland School at the end of the summer term 2004 and the enlargement of the Portland School with effect from 1 September 2004.
During the statutory notice periods (i.e. 30 January to 1 March 2004 regarding the closure of Hartland School and 30 January to 12 March 2004 regarding the enlargement of Portland School) all members of the public have the opportunity to submit written comments/objections relating to the proposal. At the end of the statutory notice period if formal objections have been received the matter will then be referred to the School Organisation Committee for a final decision on the outcome.
If the proposal for closure is agreed by the School Organisation Committee all pupils in Years 7-12 currently attending Hartland School will be offered a place in the enlarged Portland School with effect from 1 September 2004.
Pupils expecting to transfer from the primary sector into Hartland School from St Anne’s C of E Primary, St Augustine’s Junior, Manton Primary and Priory C of E Primary will be offered a place at the Portland School from 1 September 2004.
Similarly, pupils currently in Year 6 at Ryton Park Primary School will be offered a place at Valley Comprehensive School for September 2004.
In conclusion, this matter has been extensively and carefully considered and we hope that parents will now support the proposal in the best interests of their children’s education so that we can proceed rapidly to make all the necessary arrangements for a new start in September 2004.
Yours sincerely
Pam Tulley
Director of Education
The following letter was sent on 19 December 2003 to parents and carers of all pupils attending:
Hartland Comprehensive School, Portland Comprehensive School, New Manton Primary School, Priory CE Primary School, Ryton Park Primary School, St Anne's CE Primary School, St Augustines Infant & Junior Schools, Dyscarr Community School, Gateford Park Primary School, Haggonfields Primary School, Kingston Park Primary School, Ramsden Primary School, St Luke's CE Primary School
Dear Parents & Carers
Hartland and Portland Comprehensive Schools
You will know that the County Council, as the Local Education Authority (LEA) for Nottinghamshire, recently undertook extensive consultations on proposals to change the provision of secondary education in Worksop based on £60 million of investment. In essence, the proposal is to build two new schools, one on the Valley campus, the other at Sparken Hill together with a Post-16 Centre close to North Nottinghamshire College of Further Education. This proposal, which received overall support during the consultation process, would reduce the number of secondary schools in the town from three to two with effect from September 2007.
However, following the recent Ofsted inspection of Hartland School, which placed the school in "special measures", a decision was taken by the County Council to propose the closure of Hartland School from 31 August 2004, and thereby bring into effect the reduction to two secondary schools in the town. The proposal to close Hartland and to enlarge Portland School was taken after very careful consideration. It was, in my view, unfair on the pupils and staff of Hartland School to start to address the considerable number of issues for improvement identified in the Ofsted report and, during that process, seek to reduce the number of secondary schools in Worksop.
The situation has been discussed with the DfES and I have now been informed by the Minister of State for Schools that he will make about £1.2 million available to the County Council to help with the physical changes needed to the site if Hartland School closes and Portland School is enlarged. I am expecting to hear that further significant funds will be given to the County Council by the DfES to enable us to employ additional staff to support both schools during this process. In addition to this, the County Council will be investing significant funds to support the change.
Over the last few weeks I have received a number of letters, telephone calls and e-mails from parents, governors and pupils. Some of these have expressed concern about the proposal to close Hartland School, particularly the speed of this decision. They have also asked for more time for consultation and for them to arrive at a view about whether to object based on all the information. As a County Council, we do try to respond to such requests and do seek to engage and listen to all of the community who will be affected. As a result of all of the above, it has been decided:
i) to engage in a further period of consultation by withdrawing the current statutory notices;
ii) to arrange for two meetings where parents, pupils and the wider community can discuss all of the implications with LEA officers and inspectors;
iii) at the end of this process, to consider the re-issuing of notices taking into account views expressed during the extended consultation period.
So, to support this consultation, you are invited to attend one of the following meetings:
Portland School 14 January 2004: 1pm - 7pm
Hartland School 16 January 2004: 1pm - 7pm
If, however, you prefer to write to me with your views, please send them to:
The Director Education
Ref ABZ
Nottinghamshire County Council
County Hall
West Bridgford
Nottingham NG2 7QP
Yours sincerely
Pam Tulley
Director of Education
The following letter was sent on 23 November 2003 to parents and carers of all pupils attending:
Dear Parent or Carer
Hartland School
You will probably already know that following the recent Ofsted inspection, Hartland School has been judged to be failing to provide a satisfactory education and therefore has been placed in special measures. The level of achievement at the school has been a concern for some time and, consequently, the Local Education Authority has been working with the school to seek improvement. Despite the best efforts of those involved and acknowledging the difficulties the school have had in recruiting new staff, the low level of achievement and the Ofsted inspection has resulted in the Department for Education and Skills writing to me to seek clarity about our intentions for the school. Officers from the Education Department have met with officials from the DfES to discuss the options and the resources available to deliver improvements to support higher pupil attainment.
As a result of these discussions, the Local Education Authority must determine a way forward for the school. This decision must sit within the consultations on the future provision of education in Worksop that have just taken place, which gives our preferred option of two schools in Worksop - one at Sparken Hill and one on the Valley campus. The decision must also be guided by whether the circumstances under which Hartland has operated can be improved to raise the school's results by next year and whether a realistic action plan could be devised to achieve this.
Reluctantly, it is considered that, given all the circumstances, the best option is for Hartland School to close and as a matter of urgency, I will be reporting this to the County Council seeking its approval to enter the statutory process that will result in closure. In essence, this will mean a number of things. Firstly, the County Council will issue statutory notices and begin processes to seek to do the following:
- close Hartland School on 31 August, 2004
- increase the capacity of Portland School to take additional pupils from Hartland School from 1 September 2004 as necessary
- change the catchment arrangements for Valley School to allow children who attend Ryton Park School the opportunity to transfer there.
The notices will be published tomorrow and will invite comments or objections to the process. If any objections are received, the decision will be made by an independent body, the School Organisation Committee, probably in January. If no objections are received, the decision will be taken by the County Council, probably around the same timescale.
I know the decision will result in some concerns about managing the integration of pupils of the two schools, maintaining the standards at Portland School and ensuring that the facilities on site are upgraded prior to the new school being built to enable Portland to function effectively across two sites. Please be assured that officers of the Department will be working with the head teachers, Paul Buck and Kate Reid, and with the staff of both schools to ensure a smooth transition. I will write to you again, once more of the details are available.
I do know how closure and changes to schools can affect local communities. Officers from the Education Department and all of the staff at both schools will be doing their utmost to minimise the effects on pupils and to improve the quality of education for all. The additional resources available from the DfES will increase the support available to pupils and improve the learning environment for them for the future.
Yours sincerely
Pam Tulley
Director of Education
The following letter was sent on 23 November 2003 to parents and carers of all pupils attending:
St Anne's CE Primary, St Augustine's Infant, St Augustine's Junior, Manton Primary, Priory CE Primary, Ryton Park Primary, Gateford Park Primary, Haggonfields Primary, Kingston Park Primary, Langold Dyscarr Community School, Ramsden Primary, St Luke's CE Primary
Dear Parent or Carer
Reorganisation of Secondary Education in Worksop
You will probably already know that following the recent Ofsted inspection, Hartland School has been judged to be failing to provide a satisfactory education and therefore has been placed in special measures. The level of achievement at the school has been a concern for some time and, consequently, the Local Education Authority has been working with the school to seek improvement. Despite the best efforts of those involved and acknowledging the difficulties the school have had in recruiting new staff, the low level of achievement and the Ofsted inspection has resulted in the Department for Education and Skills writing to me to seek clarity about our intentions for the school. Officers from the Education Department have met with officials from the DfES to discuss the options and the resources available to deliver improvements to support higher pupil attainment.
As a result of these discussions, the Local Education Authority must determine a way forward for the school. This decision must sit within the consultations on the future provision of education in Worksop that have just taken place, which gives our preferred option of two schools in Worksop - one at Sparken Hill and one on the Valley campus. The decision must also be guided by whether the circumstances under which Hartland has operated can be improved to raise the school's results by next year and whether a realistic action plan could be devised to achieve this.
Reluctantly, it is considered that, given all the circumstances, the best option is for Hartland School to close and as a matter of urgency, the County Council has given its approval to enter the statutory process that will result in closure. In essence, this will mean a number of things. Firstly, the County Council will issue statutory notices and begin processes to seek to do the following:
- close Hartland School on 31 August, 2004
- increase the capacity of Portland School to take additional pupils from Hartland School from 1 September 2004 as necessary
- change the secondary school transition arrangements for pupils applying for a place at Hartland School in September 2004. All pupils in Year 6 at St Anne's CE Primary, Priory CE Primary, St Augustine's Junior and Manton Primary, applying for a place at Hartland School with effect from September 2004, will be offered a place at Portland School. Further details on the process will be sent to the parents concerned, shortly
- change the catchment arrangements for Valley School to allow children who attend Ryton Park School the opportunity to transfer to Valley School. Further details on the process will be sent to the parents of pupils in Year 6 at Ryton Park School shortly.
The notices will be published on 14th November and will invite comments or objections to the process. If any objections are received, the decision will be made by an independent body, the School Organisation Committee, probably in January. If no objections are received, the decision will be taken by the County Council, probably around the same timescale.
I know the decision will result in some concerns about managing the integration of pupils of the two schools, maintaining the standards at Portland School and ensuring that the facilities on site are upgraded prior to the new school being built to enable Portland to function effectively across two sites. Please be assured that officers of the Department will be working with the head teachers and with the staff of all the schools to ensure a smooth transition. I will write to you again, once more of the details are available.
I do know how closure and changes to schools can affect local communities. Officers from the Education Department and all of the staff at the schools will be doing their utmost to minimise the effects on pupils and to improve the quality of education for all. The additional resources available from the DfES will increase the support available to pupils and improve the learning environment for them for the future.
Yours sincerely
Pam Tulley
Director of Education
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