The amalgamation of two of Ulverston's primary schools has been given the go-ahead today (Tuesday 13 November) at a meeting of Cumbria County Council's Cabinet.
Cabinet's decision means that:
- Dale Street infant school will close on 31 August 2009 and
- St John Barrow junior school will be enlarged and the age range extended, to to create a 3 - 11 community primary school with effect from 1 September 2009.
The decision follows a lengthy period of public consultation and representations which began in November 2006, when Cabinet first agreed that consultation on the possible amalgamation of the two schools should take place.
The proposals for the two schools were part of the county council's strategic review of all schools in Cumbria, which began in 2005.
The main reason for proposing the amalgamation was the fact that the school roll at Dale Street has fallen over the last five years - from 70 to an anticipated 44 by September 2008. With fewer primary aged pupils in the town as a whole over the next few years, parental choice might reduce pupil numbers still further.
This leaves the school vulnerable, and it could well become non-viable in both an educational and financial terms.
Now the proposals have been approved, Sir John Barrow School will need to be developed and improved. This will involve providing extra places for Key Stage 1 pupils and for nursery aged children. The work will be funded through Cumbria County Council's Capital Programme.
Jim Buchanan, the county council's Cabinet member for Children's Wellbeing, said:
"The very reason for setting up the countywide review was to ensure that, for the future, Cumbria has the right number and right type of schools, and that they are the right size and in the right place.
"Always upppermost in our minds is providing the best possible education for the young people who are currently in our schools, and for those who follow them.
"The primary aims of these proposals are to safeguard the educational interests of Dale Street pupils and to offer an opportunity of enhanced educational standards for the future, through better use of resources, improved buildings and facilities, and better curriculum planning.
"Some of the decisions we are having to make are very difficult, and we are making them about what are very often emotional issues, but we musn't lose sight of the reasons why we began the school organisation review in the first place."
End
Further information from Alison Lister, media team on 01228 606335
Notes
Across the UK there is a trend for falling pupil numbers in primary and secondary schools. In Cumbria, at the present rate, a quarter of school places will become empty over the next 10 years.
To deal with this issue, and to ensure the quality of education in Cumbria's schools, the county council launched a thorough review of all its schools in 2005
The council set up a school organisation forum headed up by ex-headteacher Roger Alston, with a membership of county councillors from all parties, district councils, employers' bodies, the church, MPs and teachers' associations
Each area of the county has its own Local Partnership Group (LPG) - in this instance, Furness LPG. This group comes up with recommendations on the way forwad for schools in its area. These are then presented to the county council which either approves them, or returns them to the school organisation forum for further discussion
In May 2007 the Government abolished School Organisation Committees and introducded new decision-making arrangements relating to statutory proposals for school organisation change. Decisions on whether or not to approve the vast majority of such proposals regarding Cumbria's schools now fall to the county council to make
A decision on a statutory proposal needs to be made within two months of the end of the period for representations. The statutory proposals for the amalgamation of Dale Street and Sir Alfred Barrow were published on 7 September 2007 and the period for representations ended on 19 October 2007