Information on Loughborough

Cabinet to consider new new way forward for County school

Posted on 03/11/2009

Leicestershire Councty Council Cabinet Office

3 November 2009

Cabinet to consider new new way forward for County school

The County Council’s Cabinet will be asked to consider consulting on a new way forward for a Leicestershire school at its meeting on November 10th.

Cabinet members will decide whether to launch a six week consultation exercise about King Edward VII School in Melton.  

Parents, pupils, teachers and other stakeholders would be asked for their views on a range of options, including the Council’s preferred option that the school becomes a provider for post-16 education. Recently, Ofsted recognised the high quality of sixth form provision in King Edward VII School.

This option would involve King Edward VII being housed in the brand new Post-16 Centre, which is under construction on the same campus as the school.

The number of Year 7 pupils entering the school in the previous three academic years has been disappointingly low, and with the schools admission deadline approaching very shortly there are only 54 first preference entrants for 160 available places next year.

The school and the local authority have worked hard to try to boost the school’s appeal.  Despite this, parents have chosen to send their children to other schools in the area. The low number of pupils means it will not be possible to deliver the national curriculum entitlement to the whole school or the full range of high quality curriculum choices at GCSE – Key Stage 4.

If the consultation goes ahead, and the preferred option is agreed, pupil movement would take place over two years to minimise disruption.  From September, 2010, there would be no further Year 7 entrants to King Edward VII, Year 8, 9 and 10 pupils would be given the opportunity to transfer to other partner schools in the area. Year 11 pupils would remain before moving to the new post-16 building the following year, so there would be no disruption to pupils who have already started their GCSE courses.

Ivan Ould, Cabinet Member for the Children and Young People’s Service, said: “Consulting on King Edward VII School would help us to achieve our commitment to putting the needs of each learner first and ensuring young people receive the best education possible.”

If a consultation exercise is launched, there will be the following options for King Edward VII School:

•Changing the age range from 11-19 to 16-19 so that the school provides post-16 education for the Partnership

•Maintaining the status quo

•Reducing admission numbers at the other Melton secondary schools, so that more pupils are directed to King Edward VII

•Amalgamating with another school (Long Field School or John Ferneley College)

•Federating with another school/s to increase support to King Edward VII.

In addition, the consultation would also seek views on the potential benefits of widening the single catchment area for the Melton secondary schools to include the Vale of Belvoir. This would improve the level of choice for parents and ensure that all students have the widest possible access to secondary schools in the area.

Consultation documents would be distributed to a wide range of people, including: staff; governors; parents/carers; schools within the Partnership area; community users; and others with an interest in King Edward VII School.

The consultation exercise would run until 8th January and the results reported to Cabinet shortly after.

For more information, visit: www.leics.gov.uk/meltonvob