Tuesday, 6 February 2024
Families living on the Chase Farm housing development in Gedling will soon benefit from having access to catchment schools closer to where they live.
As part of the council’s most recent annual admissions consultation, three Gedling schools surrounding the Chase Farm housing development are set to have catchment area changes.
Currently, housing on the Chase Farm development has a catchment area for Lambley Primary School, and part of the development also falls within All Hallows CofE Primary School, despite being closer to other schools in the area.
Based on projected demand and capacity, and listening to requests from residents, local schools and other stakeholders, the council has sought to consult on options available, including reconfiguring the school boundaries.
Following a period of statutory public consultation on the proposals, it has now been decided to extend the catchment areas for Stanhope Primary and Nursery School, Phoenix Infant and Nursery School and Priory Junior School to include part of the Chase Farm development.
Councillor Sam Smith, Nottinghamshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and SEND said “We listened to families living in the Chase Farm area who raised their concerns about the current catchment area for the estate. After careful consideration and consultation, changing catchment areas of the relevant schools will give these families higher priority for school places closer to where they live. This is great news for families.
“We have listened to the views of the public and the local schools and have made decisions based on their feedback. These changes put the interests and wellbeing of young people and families first.
“School provision is very important for young people and their families, and is a priority for the council as we plan for future education provision in Nottinghamshire and continue to ensure there is sufficient capacity to accommodate all pupils.”
A map of the proposed changes is available to view.
The latest pupil demand forecasts indicate there will continue to be a sufficiency of primary school places over the next five years, adequate to accommodate the remainder of housing planned at Chase Farm. Existing catchment areas for other schools in Gedling remain unchanged.
Own admission authority schools are responsible for determining their own admission arrangements, including setting the catchment area.
The new catchment areas will be for children starting school for the first time or transferring from infant to junior school in September 2025. The full determined admissions arrangements for 2025-2026 will be published on the council’s website in the coming weeks.
This decision is subject to call in.
