Issue - meetings

Changes to the System of School Organisation - Department for Education

Meeting: 18/03/2014 - Children, Education and Families Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee (Item 69)

69 CHANGES TO THE SYSTEM OF SCHOOL ORGANISATION pdf icon PDF 164 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report ED14027

 

The Committee considered a report providing an update on the new school organisation regulations that came into effect on 28th January 2014, and outlining the impact of these on the delivery of the Local Authority’s programme of school expansions.

 

The school organisation system provided the legal and policy framework that governed how schools were categorised, the process by which they could make significant changes to their size and characteristics, and the process by which new schools could be opened and Local Authority Maintained schools closed.

 

Following consultation undertaken during Autumn 2013, the Government announced new arrangements which significantly reduced the bureaucracy required for making changes to school organisation and gave greater freedom to Local Authority Maintained schools to make changes to the size or age range of their school without following a statutory process.  The changes would also assist local authorities by reducing the time required to consult on school expansion.  Local authorities would retain their overarching duty to ensure sufficient high quality school places, along with powers to propose changes to Local Authority Maintained schools where they felt it necessary to meet that duty. 

 

In considering the report, a Member highlighted the importance of schools consulting with the parents and carers of their pupils and the local community when seeking to make a change to the organisation of their school.  Another Member was also concerned that schools follow the appropriate decision making processes when seeking to make a change to the organisation or their school.  The Chairman requested that a guidance note outlining the new processes be provided to Members of the Education PDS Committee following the meeting.

 

RESOLVED that:

 

1)  The changes in arrangements with regard to consultation for changes to the organisation of schools be noted;

 

2)  The changes in arrangements under which schools could decide to expand without the need for statutory consultation as long as certain requirements were met be noted; and,

 

3)  The implications the changes to the system of school organisation would have on the delivery of the school expansion programme be noted.