Winterton and Hemsby

Overview

Update

This consultation closed on 24 July 2018.  Any decision about this consultation has been deferred until the Consortium Multi-Academy Trust has undertaken the due diligence process, as part of its proposal to include Winterton Primary School within its Trust.

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The proposal is to close Winterton Primary & Nursery School (Foundation), with effect from 31^st December 2018 and to extend the catchment area of Hemsby Primary School (Community), to accommodate the change.

Winterton Primary school is a primary school taking pupils from the age of 3 years to 11 years and is designated as a rural school by the Department for Education, 2017.

Why your views matter

The consultation on the proposed closure of Winterton Primary School was brought forward as a request from the Interim Executive Board of the school on 16^th May 2018.  The Board reluctantly requested the Council to consult on closure of the school as;

• A route for the school has been rigorously explored by the Local Authority and the Department for Education, involving discussions with a number of Multi Academy Trusts and local schools.  However, no practical outcome has been secured.
• The numbers of pupils at the school will not provide sufficient funding for the school to unilaterally provide a sustainable and acceptable level of education for the pupils.

There are a number of aspects that the County Council as the Decision Maker must take into account when considering the organisation of schools to ensure it is in the best interest of children’s education and achievement.  These include school leadership, performance, impact on the community, diversity of provision, need for places, travel, early years provision and special education provision.

The proposal to close Winterton Primary School is based on;

• There is no sustainable governance model, including no viable Multi-Academy Trust solution
• There is no sustainable leadership
• There is no sustainable budget, due to the pupil numbers at the school.

Therefore it is difficult to deliver and sustain quality education for children now and in the future.