School Organisation in North Yarmouth

Overview

School Organisation in Great Yarmouth affecting Alderman Swindell Primary School and North Denes Primary School

In 2015 all schools in Great Yarmouth were reorganised to become all-through primary schools.  The County Council is undertaking a second stage of organisational review in North Yarmouth to ensure that we are making better use of existing buildings and to consider how we can improve them in the most cost-effective way. 

There are a number of aspects that the County Council as the Decision Maker must take into account when considering the organisation of schools.  These include school leadership, performance, impact on the community, diversity of provision, need for places, travel, early years provision and special education provision. 

Headteachers and Chairs of Governors of the two schools - North Denes Primary School and Alderman Swindell Primary School - have been working with us about the future provision of school places.  The discussions included the option of keeping things as they are, as well as the proposal below.

The proposal is:

• All primary school children in the North Yarmouth area, to go to a single, larger primary school on North Denes Primary School site, for 420 children aged 2 – 11 years (60 pupils in each year group).  We will do this by building a new larger school building which will accommodate all the children and which could be expanded further.  There will be provision for pre-school children on this site.

Why we feel this is important

The overall driving force is ensuring any change to school organisation is in the best interest of children’s education and achievement. 

We are consulting you on this proposal to seek your views on whether this will give a sound base of school organisation and school buildings for the way the area is developing now and the way it will develop in the future.  Norfolk County Council believes this would benefit all children and young people in Great Yarmouth because:

• It will provide sufficient places for the current number of primary pupils in the northern part of the town and will allow for some expansion in the future.  Smaller schools are likely to face more funding pressures in the future than larger ones.

• It will provide capital investment on one site, by providing a new school building on the North Denes site, by September 2020.  This uses the County Council’s capital budget in the most cost-effective way.  The funding allocated for the improvements to both school buildings, which amounts to £6.4m, could be pooled to use for a new primary school building on the North Denes site.

• It will provide a huge improvement in the quality of accommodation for local school children, including pre-school age children.  The County Council believes this will provide a modern school building, with facilities that support flexible learning environments and enhance pupils’ pride in their school.

As part of our consultation now we are currently considering alternative uses of the Alderman Swindell Primary School site, to address priorities meet the needs of children and young people who cannot be educated in a mainstream school.  The factors informing this identified need include:

• High rates of permanent exclusion from school, locally and in the wider Norfolk area;

• Transport costs of pupils resident in the Yarmouth area, who have to travel long distances to attend a school away from their local community;
• The current capacity of local state funded special schools and over reliance on the independent sector where young people are placed in out of county residential schools.

If at the end of the consultation process, the proposal does not go forward, then the schools will remain as they are.

The earliest this could happen is 1^st September 2018.

We will be holding drop-in events where you can come and find out more about these plans.  You are welcome to attend at either venue.

• Tuesday 20^th June, 5 – 6pm, at North Denes Primary School

• Thursday 22^nd June, 2 – 3pm, at Alderman Swindell Primary School

•  Tuesday 27^th June, 2.30 – 3.30pm, at North Denes Primary School

•  Thursday 29^th June, 5 – 6pm, at Alderman Swindell Primary School

If you are unable to attend these events but would like to comment on our reorganisation proposals please:

• complete the form attached to the consultation document (below) and hand it to the school office

•  or write to School Organisation Team, FREEPOST IH 2076, Floor 8 (Bay 29), County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich, NR1 2DL

• or email schoolreview@norfolk.gov.uk

• or access our online survey:        https://norfolk.citizenspace.com/childrens-services/north-yarmouth  

We need all responses by 21^st July 2017.

Why your views matter

We want to know what you think of this proposal.