Pre-Publication Consultation on future primary school provision - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Pre-Publication Consultation on future primary school provision

Tuesday 10 March 2020

• The Education Authority (EA) has authorised Officers

to consult on future primary provision in Straid Primary School.

• Associated Proposals include consultation on the

future provision in Upper Ballyboley Primary School and an increase in admissions and enrolment numbers in Ballynure Primary School as part of an area solution.

• Officers will present relevant information and

facilitate Governors, parents and staff in responding to the consultation.

• Consistent with the Education Authority’s (EA) 2019/21 Area

Planning Annual Action Plan with a commitment that the Managing Authority (EA) would consult on options for future provision of Straid PS by February 2020. The requirement is to address school provision where sustainability is an issue.

• The objectives of this presentation are to:
• 1. provide an overview of the Sustainable Schools Policy;

2. provide an overview of current provision at Straid PS within the context of this policy;

• 3. outline the options and proposal for future provision and

the development proposal process; and 4. provide stakeholders with sufficient information to comment on the proposal.

Department of Education

• Policy/Decision Maker
• Capital Investment Decision Maker

Education Authority

• Implement DE Policy
• Proposer but not Decision Maker

• Planning a network of sustainable schools to ensure

that all children and young people have access to educational choices which best meet their individual talents and abilities

• To maximise the chances of each child/young person

to reach his/her potential

• To provide equitable access to curriculum and

Entitlement Framework

• Parity of access to pathways
• Choice for all children and young people
• Promoting co-operation, collaboration, sharing
• Maximising resources and sustainability
• Informing infrastructure planning

• Number of available places
• Location of available places
• Schools facing sustainability challenges
• Equitable access to Entitlement Framework

pathways

• Potential for Irish Medium and Integrated school

development

• Potential opportunities for shared education
• Need to establish learning support provision in

mainstream schools

• Ensure that school places are located as required;
• Address school provision where sustainability is an issue (primary

and post-primary) - (reviews will take account of all 6 Sustainable Schools criteria);

• Establish additional learning support and autism specific provision

within primary and post-primary schools;

• Ensure equitable access to the Entitlement Framework pathways at

Key Stage 4;

• Reconfigure post-16 provision to give pupils equitable access to

the Entitlement Framework pathways in collaboration with the Further Education sector;

• Encourage and facilitate the development of sustainable Irish

Medium and Integrated schools; and

• Promote shared education solutions which provide sustainable

schools.

 Area – Antrim and Newtownabbey  Key Issue – Address school provision where

sustainability is an issue

 Action – Managing Authorities to consult on options

for future provision of Straid PS by February 2020

The 6 criteria of the Sustainable Schools Policy are :

• quality educational experience;
• stable enrolment trends;
• sound financial position;
• strong leadership and management by Board of

Governors and Principals;

• accessibility; and
• strong links with the community.

 Straid PS is a Controlled Primary School situated in a rural community

• f approximately 3.7 miles from the town of Ballyclare. The majority
• f the children attending the school come from the surrounding area.

The school enrolment has experienced a decline in pupil numbers

• ver the past number of years.

 An ETI inspection was undertaken in October 2011 with the overall

findings of the inspection as ‘very good’.

 The ETI report indicated:  “In the areas inspected, the quality of education provided by this

school is very good. The school is meeting very effectively the educational and pastoral needs of the children, and has demonstrated its capacity for sustained self-improvement.” (Pg3)

• No more than two composite year groups in a single

classroom at primary level.

• No fewer than four teachers in a primary school.

“Teachers in small schools face problems of having less scope for professional interaction and mutual support. The school is unlikely to provide a wide programme of extra-curricular activities and will have a smaller range of teacher specialisms e.g. music. The smaller numbers of children in each year group limit the

• pportunities for working alongside peers, social interaction and

challenge, and participation in extra-curricular activities including team-based experiences.”

Schools for the Future – A Policy for Sustainable Schools (DENI 2009)

“When the composite class spans more than two year groups, ensuring adequate progression in learning and planning to meet individual needs across a wider range of abilities and stages of development can be more challenging for the teacher. It may also limit opportunities for the children to develop socially and emotionally with those of a similar age and stage.”

ETI Chief Inspector’s Report 2014 - 2016

Table 1: Enrolment Statistics – Straid PS

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Total Places Available 2013/14

9 13 7 12 13 15 10

79

40

2014/15

11 9 13 7 12 14 15

81

38

2015/16

9 11 9 12 7 13 13

74

45

2016/17

10 9 10 9 9 7 12

66

53

2017/18

7 8 7 6 6 3 6

43

76

2018/19

9 6 8 6 5 3 4

41

78

2019/20*

6 9 6 8 6 5 3

45

74

*Based on 2019/20 P1 admissions at October Census 2019

Primary - Averages

Pupil Number Range Average Number of Pupils Number of Schools Expenditure per Pupil (£) Average Staff Cost per Pupil Pupil Teacher Ratio

0-75 50 127 5,088 4,615 15.6 75-150 107 212 3,482 3,168 20.0 150-225 187 164 3,194 2,923 22.0 225-300 259 75 3,115 2,858 22.4 300-375 341 57 2,962 2,706 22.9 375-450 410 69 2,850 2,609 24.2 450-525 480 31 3,053 2,778 22.7 525 764 46 2,828 2,257 24.1 Overall 220 781 3,501 3,192 20.9

* associated proposal to increase the Ballynure PS’s admission and enrolment number ** proposal to discontinue Upper Ballyboley Primary School is being brought forward by the Education Authority

Table 2: Local Schools – Distance from Straid Primary School Distance (miles) From Straid PS Sector Enrolment 2018/19 Approved Enrolment Number 2018/19 Available Places 2018/19 Straid Primary School

• Controlled

41 119 78 Ballynure Primary School* 1.9 Controlled 157 154

• 3

Upper Ballyboley Primary School** 5.0 Controlled 41 100 59 Toreagh Primary School 4.7 Controlled 97 105 8 Mossley Primary School 4.9 Controlled 620 610

• 10

Ballyclare Primary School 3.7 Controlled 555 572 17 Fairview Primary School 4.1 Controlled 518 525 7 St Macnissi’s Primary School 5.2 Maintained 187 210 23 Woodburn Primary School 4.2 Controlled 185 193 8 Woodlawn Primary School 5.4 Controlled 237 310 73 Earlview Primary School 5.5 Controlled 224 221

• 3

Doagh Primary School 5.7 Controlled 93 138 45

Table 4 – Live Births (Source: NISRA)

Ward Name 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 % Change from 2010 to 2017

Ballynure*

33 27 27 29 34 34 40 35 +6%

Kilwaughter

87 93 93 95 88 93 60 74

• 15%

Glenwhirry

37 28 36 22 36 36 40 29

• 22%

Doagh

51 46 51 39 52 46 42 53 +4%

Ballyclare Nth

51 60 49 44 52 68 49 44

• 26%

Ballyclare Sth

71 42 63 64 42 47 41 34

• 52%

Glynn

20 12 20 18 9 16 18 15

• 25%

Woodburn

32 22 31 23 23 25 24 15

• 53%

Total

382 330 370 334 336 365 314 299

Year 1 - Year

2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23

*Straid PS is located in the Ballynure Electoral Ward

The Sustainable Schools Policy notes the following in relation to ‘Sound Financial Position’.

• The school’s annual finances should indicate that it

can live within its delegated budget.

• The school’s financial trends should indicate that it

will continue to be able to live within its annually delegated budget.

• The school’s three year financial plan, based upon

realistic assumptions, should indicate that where there is a deficit, this can be substantially reduced

• r recovered.

Primary Schools - Deficits and Surpluses

Primary Schools 2014/15 2018/19 (before Savings*) 2018/19 (after Savings*) No. £m No. £m No. £m Schools in Surplus 622 33.3 371 19.1 455 27.6 Schools in Deficit 180

• 6.3

411

• 24.7

327

• 13.2

Net Surplus (Deficit) 802 27.0 782

• 5.6

782 6.3

*One off savings in 2018/19 of £11.9m related to stock held by primary schools.

*Source School Financial Plan 2019-22

Year 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 Anticipated Enrolment 45 pupils 45 pupils 44 pupils Planned Teaching Complement 3.80 3.80 3.80 Total Budget £178,917 £188,389 £188,389 Total Expenditure £249,450 £256,641 £268,865 In Year Movement

• £70,533
• £68,252
• £80,476

Closing Balance

• £129,918
• £198,170
• £278,646

% Deficit

• 108.7%
• 338.9%
• 2848.9%

Table 5: Sector Averages

Straid Primary School Sector Average* Year 1 (2019-2020) Year 2 (2020-2021) Year 3 (2021-2022)

Pupil/Teacher Ratio 17.5 11.8 11.8 11.6 Expenditure per Pupil £4,477 £5,543 £5,703 £6,111 Staff Costs per Pupil £4,308 £5,372 £5,438 £5,834

The Sustainable Schools Policy notes:

• home to school transport travel times of less

than 30 minutes for primary pupils (i.e. 1 hour per day in total). The school is therefore accessible to pupils who live in the local area.

The Sustainable Schools Policy highlights the importance of the degree of parental involvement, the number of children in the vicinity attending, and the contribution of the school to the community. The school has strong links with the community, to include working together with the local church and

• ther community organisations e.g. Straid Historical

and Cultural Society and The Women’s Institute.

• No Change – Do Nothing
• Shared Education
• Federation
• Amalgamation
• Discontinue Education/Closure

(See detail of options considered in the Consultation Response document)

• Small rural school retained with attractive pupil/teacher

ratio. The school continues to face the following challenges of:

• more than 2 year groups being taught together in a

single classroom;

• less than 4 teachers in the school;
• creating opportunities for staff development;
• low enrolments below the Sustainable Schools Policy

threshold of 105; and

• ongoing financial pressure.
• doing nothing is not an feasible option.

• There are a number of shared options that can be used by schools

to create a shared education model, supported by our duty to encourage, facilitate and promote shared education:

• “Shared education” provision is where schools, from different

sectors, secure resources to carry out shared activities/classes.

• A “Shared campus” model is where schools agree to locate on the
• ne site in order to maximise resources and facilitate closer

working together.

• A joint faith model is where a school is established by two or more

faith groups.

• The shared campus model requires schools to be able to address

the challenges of the Sustainable Schools Policy (2009).

• Having explored all of these shared models it is challenging to see

how sharing could address the long term sustainability issues facing Straid PS.

 Soft Federations  Hard Federations  In considering a federation, the EA believe that a federated

school arrangement within the local area would not provide for a sustainable provision and would not improve the financial position of the school.

 The Board of Governors at Straid Primary School identified

‘Federation’ as their preferred option. Various staffing structures, key stage permutations and options (including a Three School Federation) were explored by Straid Primary School and Upper Ballyboley Primary School in conjunction with the Education Authority, but no feasible nor sustainable federation option could be identified by the Education Authority.

 As with the options above, sustainability is the

most important consideration. In accordance with DE policy on amalgamations (Circular 2018/15) it states that: ‘….it should also be helpful to those who are considering a DP to amalgamate two or more schools of a similar size to create a new school regardless of management type’.

 In considering the future of Straid Primary School, all of the

• ptions for the school did not provide a sustainable

provision for the school.

 In consideration of the options above, the Education

Authority’s proposal is that Straid Primary School discontinues with effect from 31 August 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter.

 To provide for available places, the Education Authority is

proposing to take forward an associated proposal for the increase in admission and enrolment numbers for Ballynure Primary School.

 The Education Authority is also proposing the

discontinuance of Upper Ballyboley Primary School, a school 5.0 miles from Straid Primary School.

• Stabilise enrolment
• Long term security for staff
• Improve budgets
• Dedicated SEN support: focused on the needs of the pupils
• More resources available to enhance the educational

experience: focused on the needs of the pupils, interacting with own peers.

• Improved teaching environment and curriculum planning,

professional development, health and well being of staff

• Small rural school removed from the community and parental

first preference not realised.

• Longer travelling distance for some pupils.

• Consultation on the Proposal to discontinue education in

Straid PS by 31 August 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter

• A Development Proposal is required under Article 14 of

the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 before any significant change can be made to a school.

• The purpose of the Development Proposal Process is to

ensure that all interested parties are informed, consulted and involved about proposed changes to schools and have an opportunity to comment before a decision is taken.

• The outcome of any Development Proposal is subject to

a Ministerial / Department of Education Decision.

Teaching Staff

 The School Reorganisation Agreement, TNC 2013/2

Non-Teaching Staff

 The Collective Agreement for School Reorganisations, JNC 2015/224

Development Proposal Timeline Proposal: Straid Primary School will discontinue with effect from 31 August 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Proposed Timeline

Consultation with Governors, Staff, Parents – (8 weeks plus an additional 2 weeks for Easter) Consultation Responses to be forwarded to the Education Authority. Responses will be considered and a Case for Change document compiled before submission to the Education Authority’s Education Committee. A deputation from the Board of Governors may also choose to attend the Education Committee or the Board meeting.

10 March 2020 – 21 May 2020

Consultation with other affected Schools (8 weeks plus an additional 2 weeks for Easter) Consultation Responses to be forwarded to the Education Authority Responses will be considered and a Case for Change document compiled before submission to the Education Authority’s Education Committee.

12 March 2020 – 21 May 2020

Education Committee to seek Approval To Publish Case for Change to be taken to the June 2020 Education Authority’s Education Committee for consideration. If approved to publish, a Development Proposal will be published in the local newspapers which begins the start

• f a two month statutory objection period.

18 June 2020

Statutory Objection Period (2 months) Objections/Comments to be forwarded to the Department of Education

Week commencing 31 August 2020

Await Ministerial/Department of Education Decision

January 2021

Implementation If approved, the Development Proposal would take effect from 31 August 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter.

• Education Authority - Area Planning

Information:

https://www.eani.org.uk/school-management/area-planning

• Department of Education Guidance:

https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/articles/sustainable-schools https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/articles/area-planning-overview