March 2014
NEWSLETTER 1 PLANNING WORTHING SCHOOLS FOR THE FUTURE This is the first newsletter intended to provide a general update on the review currently underway on planning Worthing Schools for the Future. Further newsletters will be produced and the next update will be distributed in April 2014. 1. Consultation The informal consultation which ran from 11 November – 23 December 2013 received a high level of response from parents, staff, governors and members of the public, as well as responses from governing bodies and other organisations in the area. This consultation revealed a high level of support for changing the Age of Transfer to secondary school in line with the National Curriculum and to move to a two-tier system with the principle of all through primary schools (age 4 - 11) being created wherever possible. The Cabinet Member for Children - Start of Life having listened very carefully to the views expressed by each community during the consultation has modified the proposals for a number of schools before publishing statutory notices. A summary of the changes is detailed below and the full list is on display at all schools in Worthing and on the have your say website. This stage of the consultation will close by 27th March when the Cabinet Member will again take a decision whether to fully adopt the proposals and change the age of transfer in Worthing in September 2015. 2. Secondary School Places for September 2015 Extra secondary school places are being provided across the town which will include the provision of the new 900 place Livingstone High School. Expansion of many secondary schools in Worthing following the growth in primary school numbers and the change in the age of transfer to secondary school. 3. Indicative Preference Exercise Through the informal consultation period parents have raised concerns about the practical arrangements of getting siblings to different schools should the proposed changes to Worthing school’s age of transfer take place. This exercise will be an invitation to parents most affected by the changes to indicate a preference for a school place for their child/children to resolve such concerns. The exercise to indicate a preference will be open for a period of three weeks from 17th March to 4th April 2014. After this period a decision will be made about how many places, if any, will be published for September 2015 in specific year groups at the following schools: (Currently) (Currently) (Currently) (Currently)
Downsbrook Middle School Years 1 to 4 West Park First and Middle Schools Years 1 to 4 Thomas A Becket Middle School Year 3 and Year 4 Orchards Middle School Year 3 and Year 4.
For West Park First and Middle Schools and Downsbrook Middle School the actual allocation for these places will be made in the summer term 2014. The application process will run from 6th May to 20th June and allocations will be made on the 11th July 2014. For Thomas A Becket Middle School and Orchards Middle School these schools will have a double transfer of Years 3 and 4 in September 2015. The results of this indicative
March 2014 preference exercise will inform how many, if any, extra places are available in September 2015 and parents who wish to apply for these year groups will do so in the normal allocation period from September to January, with the allocation being made in April 2015. A letter will shortly be sent to all schools in the Worthing area to explain this in further detail. 4. Building Proposals and Capital Investment Feasibility studies for all proposed building projects are now complete. Work is on-going to commission consultants and contractors in order to progress the projects. Details for planning application will follow the completion of the current consultation on statutory proposals and reflect the outcome from this phase of the process. 5. The New Worthing Academy The Department for Education confirmed the sponsor of the new academy as the Durrington Multi Academy Trust/Livingstone Trust. The school will be known as the Livingstone High School and detailed design work with the sponsor is now underway. Planning applications will follow shortly. The programme is very tight but the plans are for the academy to open in September 2015. 6. Future Review of Special Support Centres (SSC’s) in Worthing Following the outcome of the consultation on statutory proposals there will be a review of the SSC’s in the Worthing locality as part of a County wide review. The timescale for this is yet to be determined any future updates will be included in future editions of this newsletter.
NOTICE IS GIVEN in accordance with Section 19(1) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 as amended by the Education Act 2011 that West Sussex County Council intend to make prescribed alterations to the following schools from September 2015:Bramber First, To change the age range from 4–8 to 4–11 Chesswood Middle, To change the age range from 8-12 to 7–11 Downsbrook Middle, To change the age range from 8–12 to 4–11 Durrington First, To change the age range from 4–8 to 4–7 Durrington Middle, To change the age range from 8–12 to 7–11 Elm Grove First To change the age range from 4–8 to 4–11 Field Place First To change the age range from 4–8 to 4–7 Hawthorns First, To change the age range from 4–8 to 4–11 Laurels First(The), To change the age range from 4–8 to 4–11 Lyndhurst First To change the age range from 4–8 to 4–7 Orchards Community Middle (The) To change the age range from 8–12 to 7–11 Springfield First, To change the age range from 4–8 to 4–7 Thomas A’Becket First, To change the age range from 4–8 to 4–7 Thomas A’Becket Middle,
To change the age range from 8–12 to 7–11 Vale First and Middle, To change the age range from 4–12 to 4–11 Whytemead First, To change the age range from 4–8 to 4–11 Durrington High School, To change the age range from 12-16 to 11–16 *Worthing High School ,(Academy) To change the age range from 12-16 to 11–16 *subject to determination by the Secretary of State NOTICE IS GIVEN in accordance with Section 19(3) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 as amended by the Education Act 2011 that the Governing Bodies with the support of the Chichester Diocesan Board of Education and the Local Authority, intend to make the following prescribed alterations to the following schools from September 2015:Goring–by-Sea CE First (Aided) To change the age range from 4–8 to 4–11 West Park CE First and Middle (Controlled) To change the age range from 4–12 to 4–11 Broadwater CE First and Middle (Aided) To change the age range from 4–12 to 4–11 Heene CE First (Aided) To change the age range from 4–8 to 4–11 Davison CofE High School for Girls (Controlled) To change the age range from 12-16 to 11-16 St Andrews CofE High School for Boys (Aided) To change the age range from 12-16 to 11-16