Agenda item

Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment & Transport (CET/22/5) outlining proposals for the closure of Chittlehampton Church of England Primary School, attached.

An Impact Assessment is also attached for the attention of Members at the meeting and can also be found at  https://www.devon.gov.uk/impact/chittlehampton-primary-closure/

RESOLVED

(a) that the closure of Chittlehampton C of E Primary School from 31 August

2022 be approved, and;

(b) that the proposed new designated areas for the area currently served by

Chittlehampton C of E Primary School to inform school transport eligibility,

also be endorsed.

(Councillors Adams, Bailey, Brazil and Whitton attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment & Transport (CET/22/5) outlining proposals for the closure of Chittlehampton Church of England Primary School, circulated prior to the meeting in accordance with regulation 7(4) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

The Governing Body of the Devon Moors Federation had brough forward a statutory proposal to close Chittlehampton C of E Primary School.  The Local Authority was the decision-maker, following completion of the statutory process, therefore Cabinet was being asked to consider the responses received during the statutory process, as well as the reasons for bringing the proposal forward, in order to determine whether Chittlehampton C of E Primary School should close from 31 August 2022.

Chittlehampton C of E Primary school was a small, rural primary school for children aged 3 - 11 and was part of The Devon Moors Federation, which consisted of six schools. Chittlehampton Primary historically operated as a two class school due to the number on roll and had a published admission number of 8 with a capacity for 56 pupils.  The school had been under-subscribed for a number of years and pupil numbers had consistently fallen. The school currently had 15 pupils on roll with five of those due to leave in July.

Chittlehampton C of E Primary School was recognised by Ofsted as being a ‘Good’ school (April 2018), however the delivery of a broad and balanced curriculum at Chittlehampton C of E Primary School was challenging. Providing social and emotional development would also be very challenging.

The Report outlined the current picture with regard to area health authority data which provided data on the number of 0 - 4 year olds living in the school’s catchment area and any proposals for future housing development. It also said there was sufficient capacity across local schools to accommodate the children from Chittlehampton C of E Primary School and those choices were outlined in the Report as well as relevant distances and policy for school transport.

The impact on staff at the School was highlighted as well as the detailed consultations that had taken place (informal consultation period held between 14 February to 4 April 2022 and consultation information session held at the school on 3 March 2022). The consultation document, a report of the consultation event and response is available at: Consultation on the future of Chittlehampton C of E Primary School - Have Your Say (devon.gov.uk) and the summary of the responses attached at Appendix 3. The consultation responses had been considered and addressed in the published Full Statutory Proposal available via: Proposed closure of Chittlehampton C of E Primary School: formal representation period - Have Your Say (devon.gov.uk). The formal representation period on the closure of the school ran for a four-week period from 25 April to 23 May 2022 in accordance with DfE regulations.

The Cabinet noted that whilst the proposal would lead to the loss of the school, the Governing Body, the Local Authority and the Diocesan Board of Education believed that the proposal was in the best educational interests of the children in the future as the school was neither educationally nor financially sustainable.

An Impact Assessment was also circulated with the agenda for the attention of Members at the meeting and could also be found at https://www.devon.gov.uk/impact/chittlehampton-primary-closure/. This highlighted that the Consultation on the closure had been open and fair and undertaken in line with best practice guidance and the Cabinet Office guidance on consultation principles. Should the school close, families would be able to express a preference for three schools.  Where schools were oversubscribed, admission authorities ranked applications in accordance with their determined arrangements and that oversubscription criteria had to be reasonable, clear, objective, procedurally fair and compliant with all relevant legislation, including equalities legislation. Admission authorities had to ensure that arrangements would not disadvantage unfairly, either directly or indirectly, a child from a particular social or racial group, or a child with a disability or special educational needs.

The matter having been debated and the options and/or alternatives and other relevant factors (e.g. financial, sustainability (including carbon impact), risk management, equality and legal considerations and Public Health impact) set out in the Director’s Report and/or referred to above having been considered:

it was MOVED by Councillor Leadbetter, SECONDED by Councillor Hart, and

RESOLVED

(a) that the closure of Chittlehampton C of E Primary School from 31 August 2022 be approved, and;

(b) that the proposed new designated areas for the area currently served by Chittlehampton C of E Primary School to inform school transport eligibility, also be endorsed.

(NB: The Impact Assessment referred to above may be viewed alongside Minutes of this meeting and was also available at; https://www.devon.gov.uk/impact/chittlehampton-primary-closure).