Information on Loughborough

Exciting way forward for education in Loughborough, Quorn and Barrow

Posted on 02/03/2010

Leicestershire Councty Council Cabinet Office

2 March 2010

Exciting way forward for education in Loughborough, Quorn and Barrow

The County Council’s Cabinet will be asked to approve an exciting way forward for transforming learning in Loughborough, Quorn and Barrow-upon-Soar at its meeting on March 9th.

The Cabinet will be presented with the outcome of a consultation exercise on two options for the future of education in the area, if up to £80 million of Government Building Schools for the Future (BSF) funding is awarded.

The options put forward by the County Council differ in how sixth form education would be provided.  Officers are asking Cabinet to endorse Option B, which would see two sixth forms - one at Rawlins College in Quorn and the other at a new school which would be on the Thorpe Hill campus in Loughborough.

Option B has received more support in the consultation than Option A and detailed appraisal shows this would effectively deliver transformation, meeting BSF guidelines.

An Option C was put forward by the governing bodies at Garendon and Limehurst High Schools.  Analysis shows this would create too many surplus places and would not be affordable.  It is officers’ view that if this option were put forward, funding would not be awarded.

Cabinet are also being asked to approve two secondary school catchment areas – one for Loughborough and one for Quorn and Barrow.  This would give more choice in the schools pupils could attend.

Ivan Ould, the County Council’s Cabinet Member for the Children and Young People’s Service, said: “BSF funding would provide 21st Century secondary and special schools with state-of-the-art facilities and the latest ICT and technology.

“Schools would have a wider range of specialisms and there would be a much wider curriculum for pupils with more GCSE subjects and vocational diplomas to choose from.

“We are asking the Government for the money to transform learning in Loughborough, Quorn and Barrow and we hope that they listen to our request.”

There is no guarantee that Leicestershire will be awarded the funding.  However, work by the County Council and the consultation have identified the need to raise standards by removing the transfer between schools at age 14.   The number of surplus places in the area also needs to be reduced significantly.

If funding was not awarded, an option with reduced building work and much lower costs would be developed.  There would be a further report to Cabinet and further public consultation if this happened.

For more information about transforming learning in Loughborough, Quorn and Barrow visit: www.leics.gov.uk/loughboroughbsf  

Notes to editors

The consultation exercise closes on March 2nd.  Cabinet will be updated with all consultation responses at its meeting on March 9th.  

A copy of the Cabinet paper will be available on this website from 12noon on March 2nd.  This includes a summary of the consultation responses.