What this consultation is about
We wanted to consult all interested parties on the future use of the former Tibshelf School site and the future of primary education in the town.
The availability of a site next to the Tibshelf Infant School opens the possibility of relocating Tibshelf Town End Junior School onto the same site. It would be possible to effectively merge the two schools and create a primary school.
Background
The former Tibshelf School site occupies an area of 58,839 square metres in the centre of the village of Tibshelf. Tibshelf School moved to its new location on the edge of the village in November 2013. At the time of leaving, there were extensive school buildings on site, playing fields, tennis courts, an all-weather pitch and a changing block. The all-weather pitch and changing block had been funded with a partial grant from the Football Foundation. All the sports facilities were replicated on the new school site and are available for community use. Since the school’s departure, the buildings (with the exception of the changing block) have been demolished on safety grounds. The changing block and playing fields have continued to be used by a local football club and the athletics club. There is access across the site to the allotments.
Issues for consultation
The availability of a site next to the Tibshelf Infant School opens the possibility of relocating Tibshelf Town End Junior School onto the same site. It would be possible to effectively merge the two schools and create a primary school. Primary schools are seen to have a number of advantages over separate infant and junior schools, and in recent years a number infant and junior schools have merged. The advantages are:
- A primary school is able to organise and coordinate the teaching across the primary years, and there is no need for a transition between infant and junior schools. The transition from infant to junior can be unsettling for some children and impact on educational progress.
- The infant and junior schools in Tibshelf are not located on the same sites and, as a consequence, parents may have children in two schools at separate locations within the town presenting travel and time issues in getting children to school.
The ‘merger’ of the two schools could be achieved in one of two ways. The first is for the two governing bodies to decide to form a ‘federation’. Under a federation, the two schools can have a single governing body and effectively operate as a single school, although they remain distinct in some respects. The alternative would be for us to undertake a formal legal process to close both schools and open a new one. It is proposed that the two schools federate rather than be replaced by a new school as a federation has many of the benefits of a single school but can be put in place with less disruption.
We are proposing that the all-weather pitch and changing block should remain and an area of 25,421 square metres be retained to replace Town End Junior School on a more central site. The junior school is on a very small site. Numbers at the school are growing and there is no scope for expansion. The replacement school could be a direct replacement of a junior school or take the form of a primary school. The surplus land including the site of the current Town End Junior School would then be available for disposal. In order to dispose of surplus land on the former Tibshelf School or Town End Junior School sites for future development it will be necessary to seek consent from the Secretary of State for Education.
Funding
The proposed project will be developed in more detail if this consultation establishes support for the proposal and approval is received from the Department for Education to sell the land. The cost of the project is estimated to be in the region of £7m. The value of the land for disposal is estimated to be around £3.9m. The balance of funding would be provided by us from our capital programme. The details of the project, including the access to the site, would be subject to further consultation as part of the planning process.
Consultation questions
- Do you prefer the junior and infant schools to remain on separate sites?
- Do you prefer that the junior school is relocated on the old Tibshelf School site?
- Do you think Town End Junior School and Tibshelf Infants school should operate as a federation or do you think they should close and be replaced by a new primary school?
- What are your views on the disposal of surplus land on the former Tibshelf School site and Town End Junior School site and the use of the funds to provide a new building to house a federation of the infant and junior schools?
This consultation is now closed. A report was presented to Cabinet, 26 July 2016, agenda item 20.