1 THE ISSUE

1.1 The Council have embarked on a programme of area reviews of primary school provision in order to ensure that the service is delivered in the most effective manner in terms of standards, resources, access to good facilities for children, staff and local communities and promotion of community cohesion through the making of local schools the natural and easy choice for parents and carers. The North & Central Bath area which includes St Swithins was reviewed between January and April 2004.

2 RECOMMENDATION

The Council Executive is asked to:

2.1 Note the responses to consultation

2.2 Instruct the Education Director to publish the necessary legal notice, in September 2004, for closure of the school from the last day of the academic year 2004/05.

3 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

3.1 The costs of publishing the necessary notice can be met from existing resources.

3.2 The revenue savings generated from closure of the school are estimated at approx. £75,000 per annum, with a part year saving of £44,000 in the year of closure. This value cannot be calculated exactly until it is known where pupils are to be transferred.

4 THE REPORT

4.1 Between January and March 2004 the Council undertook a review of primary schools in north & central Bath. This area includes St Swithin's CE Infant School.

4.2 At its meeting on 7 April 2004 the Executive agreed to undertake formal consultation regarding the future of the school.

4.3 A consultation document was published on 10 May 2004 setting out the reasons that led the Council to consider closure of the school.

4.4 The consultation period ended on 11 June. 132 responses have been received.

4.5 The key issues raised in consultation responses are summarised in italics below.

4.6 Due to its small size the school is able to offer a `family feel'.

Members are asked to note this but to agree that such an ethos can also be found in many larger schools.

4.7 St Swithin's is located in an area of Bath that has some social problems. The reputation of Snow Hill has, in the past, been particularly poor. Efforts to rectify these problems include a positive attempt by Somer Community Housing Trust to rehouse families in the area. The effect of the movement of families into the area may lead to an increased number on roll at the school and thus reduce the excessive costs.

Members are asked to acknowledge that the closure of the school may be regarded as a retrograde step in the efforts to regenerate the area but to note that the excessive cost of maintaining the school with such low numbers outweighs other factors. Members are further asked to agree that movement into the area may have an effect but to agree that this is likely to take far too long and that the school, even were it full, would remain undersized for a primary sector school in the city.

Members are also asked to note that the lack of a broad social balance in such a small school in a deprived area could be seen as having a detrimental effect on children's social development and opportunities to break cycles of deprivation, leading to further social exclusion. The benefits of children being educated in a more socially diverse school far outweigh the benefits of a small school in this case.

4.8 The regular reviews of the school have contributed to uncertainty and pessimism over the future of the school. If the school were to have a secure future then numbers would rise.

Members are asked to acknowledge that reviews of this type are potentially undermining but are not entered into without good reason. The usual causes of a review of this school have been low pupil numbers / very high cost. The effect of such reviews may be to compound this temporarily but it is the case that the last formal review of this school was completed in October 2000. Since that time pupil numbers have fallen further. An area review which included St Swithin's was undertaken in 2002 but did not proceed to formal consultation on the decision of the Executive Member.

4.9 The school provides a valuable placement for children who are living in the Women's Refuge. These children are often traumatised by their experiences and need individual attention in a caring atmosphere.

Members are asked to acknowledge this and to emphasise the need for any receiving school to be aware of the circumstances regarding each child so that they may provide suitable support.

4.10 Children attending the school on a part-time basis as part of the Foundation Stage may miss out on nursery education if there was no provision nearby.

Members are aware that St Swithin's admits children of nursery age but that the LEA nursery provision at the school ceased to be funded in 2002. Nursery provision in the area is available at St Andrew's CE VA Primary School and it may be possible to accommodate the level of demand arising from the closure of St Swithin's at this nursery. There is nursery provision at St Saviour's CE Infant but Members are asked to acknowledge that this may be too far from the area around St Swithin's to be of practical value to parents.

4.11 The standards of education at the school are excellent and the staff work hard and are dedicated to the children and the school.

Members are asked to recognise this dedication and note that, should the school close, the Education Service will make every effort to ensure that staff can continue to work in our schools.

4.12 The Council's proposal seems to be part of a general attempt to eliminate infant and junior schools and replace them with all-through primary schools. This fails to take heed of the latest thinking regarding the importance of early years education.

Members are reminded that there is no policy to eliminate separate schools in the primary phase but the Council has a preference for all-through primary education. The review of St Swithin's has not been based on any desire to send children to all-through primary schools and, in fact, one of the schools mentioned as a possible destination for children is itself an infant school. There is no evidence to suggest that early years education cannot be effectively delivered in all-through primary schools. The vast majority of pupils in Bath & North East Somerset are educated in all-through schools and there is no evidence of a negative impact on younger children.

4.13 It would be very unwise to close the school without having the building's future use decided upon so that conversion work can commence immediately after the school leaves. The property will otherwise rapidly fall into disrepair. There are several of these in Snow Hill already. Older children will be put at greater risk by providing these people with another place to deal and abuse drugs.

Members are invited to note this concern and agree that Property & Legal Services should be asked to liaise closely with the Diocese of Bath & Wells in an effort to prevent the problem identified in the response from arising.

4.14 Closure of the school will prevent parents choosing a small school.

Members are asked to note this undeniable fact and to agree that smaller and larger schools are a valuable part of provision in Bath & North East Somerset. However, Members are asked to agree that maintenance of such a small school places an unnecessary burden on the Education Service as a whole to the indirect and direct disadvantage of all other children for which the Council has responsibility.

4.15 Education should not be considered in monetary terms.

Members are invited to disagree with this statement and to agree that it is an important part of the Council's function to ensure that all resources are used in the most effective way. Members are asked to confirm that education should not be considered solely in monetary terms but it is entirely reasonable to consider as part of a wider debate about the future of a school.

5 RISK MANAGEMENT

A risk assessment related to the issue and recommendations has been undertaken, in compliance with the Council's decision making risk management guidance.

6 RATIONALE

6.1 The costs of maintaining St Swithin's are unjustifiable.

6.2 Very small schools often find it difficult to offer the widest possible range of educational experiences for children and development opportunities for staff.

6.3 At January 2004 St Swithin's CE Infant has approximately 87% unfilled places. This would indicate that sufficient local demand does not exist for places at the school.

7 OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED

7.1 The only option other than taking action is to take no action. This would conflict with one aim of the review process which is to ensure that resources are used effectively.

7.2 Taking no action would also fail to address one of the performance indicators against which the Council is judged specifically the number of schools which have 25% or more (and at least 30) unfilled places. OFSTED state that a characteristic of an effective LEA is that there should be no schools in such a position. Furthermore, DfES require LEAs to report annually the rationale for maintaining such schools.

8 CONSULTATION

8.1 On May 10 2004 39 copies of the consultation document were issued to staff, Governors and parents at the school. In addition, copies of the document were provided to local Ward Councillors, trades unions and senior Officers of the Council.

BACKGROUND

All primary schools in Bath & North East Somerset are being reviewed on an area basis between September 2003 and July 2007.

The Council Executive has agreed that the aims of these reviews are:

· To maintain and improve educational standards

· To maximise the use of existing resources (land, buildings and funding)

· To increase access to high quality facilities for children, staff and the community

· To make the choice of a local school the natural and easy choice for parents

Each of these statements has some weight. In particular areas and at particular schools the importance of each statement will differ.

WHY ARE WE PUBLISHING THIS PAPER?

On 7 April 2004 the Council Executive decided that it wished to consult people about the possible closure of St Swithin's CE VC Infant School. This decision was reached after a review of St Swithin's and ten other schools in north and central Bath. The Area Review involved the Headteachers and Chairs of Governors at all these schools, Councillors who form the Overview & Scrutiny Panel and various Officers from the Education Service.

WHAT ARE WE ASKING?

We are simply asking whether you believe that the school should close. Later in this document we will put forward some of the reasons why the school is being considered for closure. We ask that you read the document, attend (if you can) the public meeting that is being held (see page 4 for details of date, time and place), listen to the arguments for and against closure and contribute if you wish to that discussion.

We ask that you then send us comments. You can use the form at the back of this paper or write to us by letter or e-mail.

WHY IS THE SCHOOL BEING CONSIDERED FOR CLOSURE?

There are several reasons why the Council Executive decided to consult people about the closure of St Swithin's.

The school is the smallest school in Bath & North East Somerset. At January 2004 there were 9 full-time pupils on roll and a further ten children attending on a part-time basis. The school has almost 90% of its places empty. The numbers of children really matter as some costs at schools are fairly fixed (salaries, maintenance costs, other running costs) and the fewer pupils there are the greater the cost per head. We believe that it is unfair and an inefficient use of resources for one group of children to benefit from additional resources at the expense of another purely on the basis of the size of the school they attend.

In addition, the school is not particularly suitable for modern education and it is missing certain important facilities such as a computer room and a separate library . Other areas are also unsuitable. For example, there are no grassed areas for the children to use either for learning or play. The building is also inaccessible to wheelchair users.

The condition of the building is not exceptionally bad but over £90,000 is required to be spent over the next couple of years in order to deal with urgent and essential repairs and maintenance problems.

It is the case that the school has been reviewed on two occasions over the last few years. In October 2000 the Council agreed to keep the school open but stated that the school must increase its number on roll. In September 2000 there were 23 children on roll so, in fact, numbers have fallen since that date.

Each of these issues is significant and taken together, there are good reasons to take the issue of closure of St Swithin's Infant forward for wider public discussion.

IF THE SCHOOL CLOSES WHERE WILL THE CHILDREN GO?

Children on roll at St Swithin's will be offered places at St Saviour's CE Infant School in Larkhall. Normal transport arrangements will apply.

Parents/carers who are seeking places for nursery aged children would, if possible, be offered places at other LEA nurseries in the area.

IF ST SWITHIN'S CLOSES, WHEN WILL IT CLOSE?

The Council believes that the school should close at the end of the school year 2004/05. Legally this is August 31 2005 although the children and staff would obviously not be there on that date. This will mean that children currently in Reception and any children joining the school in September 2004 will be the only groups affected as the other children currently at the school will have left or be planning to leave in July 2005 in any case.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE STAFF IF THE SCHOOL CLOSES?

As is the case when a factory or office closes the people working there are at risk of losing their jobs. The Council always does all it can to try and place people in other jobs. This is because we have no wish to lose experienced and talented staff and any redundancy payments are taken from the total education budget which leaves less to be spent on children.

IF THE SCHOOL CLOSES WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE BUILDING?

The building is not owned by the Council. It will revert to the Diocese of Bath & Wells who hold the building on a lease from a private individual. There are restrictions on the use of the building under that lease. It will be a matter for the Diocese to decide what happens to the building and site. Another Council service may express an interest in using the building. The value or possible re-use of the building or the land on which it is located has played no part in the decision of the Council to begin this process.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Once this consultation is over, every form, letter and e-mail will be copied and given to members of the Council Executive. A copy of the minutes of the public meeting will also be passed to the Executive.

The Executive will also receive a report prepared by Officers which summarises and highlights the issues raised during consultation. Officers will ask elected councillors to accept the report and the recommendations of Officers. It is entirely up to the members of the Executive whether they accept these recommendations or whether they want to do something else.

The Executive has to show that, when taking its decision, it has taken account of the views expressed in the consultation. It does not have to agree with those views.

The Executive can decide to publish the legal notice necessary to close a school. It can also decide to do nothing and leave the school open or potentially, it could ask Officers to carry out further consultation or investigation.

If a decision is taken to publish the legal notice to close the school this would be published in September 2004 and there would be six weeks for people to send representations, including objections to the Council.

If there are objections to the proposals to close the school, then the issue has to go to the School Organisation Committee which is separate and independent from the Council. This Committee makes the final decision.

If there are no objections the Council can take the final decision itself.

IMPORTANT DATES

Consultation begins May 10 2004

Public Meeting Tuesday May 25 2004

To be held at St Swithin's CE VC Infant School, Dover Place, Bath at 6.30 p.m.

Consultation closes June 11 2004

Council Executive Tuesday July 5 2004

To be held at the Guildhall, Bath at 10 a.m. This is a public meeting so anyone can attend. If you want to speak you need to contact Jo Morrison on 01225 394358 by Wednesday June 30 at the latest. She will explain the details of the public speaking scheme.

RESPONSE FORM

Name .................................................

Address .................................................

.................................................

.................................................

I am a parent / carer of a child at St Swithin's Infant School [X]

I am a parent / carer of a pre-school child [X]

I am a member of staff at St Swithin's Infant School [X]

I am a Governor at St Swithin's Infant School [X]

I am a local resident [X]

I am

(please specify)...........................................................................

DO YOU AGREE THAT ST SWITHIN'S INFANT SCHOOL SHOULD CLOSE?

YES

NO

I / We have the following comments

........................................................................................................

........................................................................................................

........................................................................................................

Please continue over the page if necessary or send us a separate letter.

Please return to the postal address printed on the front of this document. ALL RESPONSES MUST BE RECEIVED BY 12 noon ON 11 JUNE 2004

Public Meeting held at St Swithins School Regarding The Possible Closure of St Swithins School - Tuesday 25^th May 2004

3.30pm - Headteacher and Staff (Approx 6 attendees)

4.30pm - Governors (Approx 4 attendees)

6.30pm - Parents and Public (Approx 40 attendees)

3.30pm Headteacher and Staff Meeting

Introductions were made to all attendees of the Bath & Northeast Somerset representatives:-

Bruce Austen - School Organisation Manager

Tony Parker - Acting Head of Service, Strategy & Management

Elly Smith - taking minutes

The meeting commenced with Tony Parker summarising the background and review process regarding the consultation process. He advised that all responses had to be returned to the LEA by no later than 11 June 2004.

Bruce Austen then summarised the next steps of the process, advising that the feedback from the consultations including a report will go to the Executive on 5 July who will decide the next step. If there are still objections to any decision made by the Executive after this, the final decision will go to the School Organisation Committee.

Responses were then requested from attendees:

Please note:-

Q = Question to Tony Parker and/or Bruce Austen

A = Answer from TP and/or BA

R = Response from audience

Q Will any responses from staff, parents and governors etc, be documented?

A Yes, responses will be logged individually or as a group. All will be recorded.

Q Further to the 5 July decision, when will staff know the outcome of this?

A LEA will give advance notice of proposals in a final report to schools prior to the press or public being informed (around 22/23 June).

Q Will a final decision be made prior to the meeting on 5^th July?

A No. A formal decision will be made at the meeting on 5^th July.

Q St Saviours School is a long distance to travel and could not possibly be considered "a natural and easy choice" as laid out in LEA material. It will probably put more motor traffic on the roads. What does the LEA consider as "normal travel arrangements"?

A If a school is under a 2-mile walking radius, the LEA will not provide travel to and from the school. Any decision to close St Swithins will be based upon many points including distance to travel, transport etc.

R One of the teachers at St Swithins walked to St Saviours (the nearest school) and it took almost 40 minutes. This is unreasonable.

Q Is St Saviours the only choice of relocation for our children? St Andrews availability is a little vague?

A St Andrews had 1 unfulfilled place as at Sept 04. Their admission numbers will rise from 27 to 30 from Sept 05 so they will be able to cater for more children. It should become a 210 place school.

Q Won't it be cramped?

A They will be at full capacity but won't be stretched.

Q Can Parkside children go to St Saviours also?

A Yes

R If this is the case, then St Saviours may become full capacity and will not have sufficient room for the St Swithins children.

R Single parents who are not working would like 9-3pm care for their children and having to walk to St Saviours for this would be time consuming affair.

A More funds may have to be invested in nursery care etc and will be thoroughly investigated.

R Some of the parents at St Swithins cannot afford nursery care all day and will therefore have to travel 40 minutes each way for a two hour session. It is imperative that flexible nursery care is provided if St Swithins is closed.

A The school might be considered for use as a nursery unit if it were closed but this will have to be investigated further and may also not be linked directly to a school or run by the LEA.

R SAT's results last year were not very good but 3 out of 4 children were SEN. This year, the SAT's will be better and shown that children are gaining good results. The local newspaper indicated that standards were low at the school which is not the case. The children have a great deal of needs and considering this, have gained good results.

A Results are also considered over a period of time and the SAT's results will not be considered on their own. The school is too small to base performance on SAT's figures alone. Other things such as NOR, funding, performance, state of buildings etc will be considered.

Q Why use performance results in the consultation documents then?

A Data will have to be considered as part of the process including all of the above as well as empty places. The bigger picture is needed which incorporates many factors including condition, suitability, the ethos and size of the school.

R Staff have been loyal and have remained throughout all of the reviews. It has been a difficult time and they have been loyal.

4.30pm Governors Meeting

Tony Parker and Bruce Austen commenced the meeting with the same summary as to the Headteacher and Staff.

Q Regarding the School Organisation Committee- do they make decisions about school reviews very often and is their role firmly established?

A The School Organisation Committee was set up in 1999. They approve the School Organisation Plan. Another key purpose is to decide statutory proposals. The last time they did this was Feb 2003. If no objections are raised to the Council proposals then the School Organisation Committee will not be involved.

R I am concerned about the make-up of the School Organisation Committee. They seem to be made up of mostly Council and Headteachers.

A The School Organisation Committee is obligated to contain certain members. Their views are taken not as individuals but as representatives of education providers. They have shown themselves to take decisions on their merits in the past. The full list of the School Organisation Committee members are on the Council Website if people are interested and the webisite also indicates to which of the five groups members belong.

R The review mentions the library and computer rooms as insufficient. The library is used at all times during the day and even during lunch hours for children's breaks. ICT is not suffering due to lack of a dedicated ICT suite and in fact are more flexible than those schools with suites as computers can be used whenever needed as they are situated in classrooms. The school currently have more computers than recommended and the Ofsted document confirms that they have all that is needed for the school.

R The review also says that the school does not have grassed areas. This has now been re-seeded. Access was mentioned but we would like it pointed out that disabled children and visitors are catered for very well.

R There are a large number of SEN children in the school who also have EBD - there is a good family atmosphere and support for both the children and parents and this is appreciated by all a great deal. Feedback about the `personal touch' is relayed quite often.

Q The falling role is due to circumstances outside of the school's control. Is it common practice to close one school and to relocate children to another school and to invest further funds into this school?

A The government looks at the short term ways to improve schools and if things change within the next 5-6 years, then circumstances may need to be reconsidered yet again. The area reviews will happen every 4-5 years and each area will be looked at freshly. The reviews and any closures are not just about falling NOR but also on changing distribution and any changes that need to be made to cater for these.

Q What provision is being made for transport to other schools and for Reception children etc?

A Nursery provision will be available and expansion may be made at other schools to cope with the extra demand on them. At present, no transport arrangements have been discussed.

R There could be complications due to the huge trek to another school site. Snow Hill has had a bad reputation in the past and some parents have said that the neighbourhood worried them but that the school ethos and site swung it in their favour. The area is changing and people feel safer with a strong community feel etc.

A The school closure is a long process and any decision made will not be taken lightly. All services within the council will be consulted so that all areas are taken into account.

Q Is there a covenant on the use of the building and if so, what is it?

A The building should be used for "educational purposes" as itemised in the covenant. We are unsure about the exact details but will look into this further. The owner of the building will decide this along with the Diocese of Bath and Wells. This can sometimes be a time consuming process and it is not ideal to leave a building derelict. The Council may have some influence over the future use of the building.

Q What influence does the LEA have on the building after it stops being used as a school?

A We will need to speak to Property and Legal Services about this.

R The availability of the building after it has stopped being a school may have a direct influence on people's decisions about closure etc.

R A private nursery will not meet the needs of the community.

Q Why was extra consultation time given to Swainswick?

A It is a rural school. The LEA has to carry out an impact study which is extra to the others in the review.

R Timescales could have been lined up better to prevent this happening and to enable all schools to have stuck to the same time line.

A We weren't actually able to do this with Swainswick due to legal nature of the timescales etc. The process needs to be democratic and also needs to be seen as fair. The legal process is that rural schools need more investigation time.

R The consultation document states that around £90K of work is needed on the condition of the building. The school has been standing for 120 years and it is only natural that some remedial work is now needed.

A The amount stated is urgent or essential health and safety work. The question is- is it entirely fair that such a large sum of money should be spent on repairing a school when it could be directed elsewhere?

Q But wouldn't the money still be spent on the building if the Council decide to retain the building after it stops being used as a school?

A That depends entirely on what the building is used for. This will need to be acknowledged to the new owner and the LEA may not actually use the building as it may return to the owner.

Q Does the covenant cover the building or land?

A The owner will need to be tracked down and to liaise with the leaseholder to decide this.

R The members of the school wish it to be conveyed that the school is excellent. Generally, when schools close it is because they are badly run and have been identified as being managed badly. What reassurance can you give us that if the school closes, it will be advertised as a positive closure?

A We acknowledge that the staff do well at the school and it will be advertised that it is a well run school. If closure is decided, a closing ceremony can take place with members of the public invited to take part. A joint celebration can be held with the nearest school where children will relocate to.

6.30pm Parents Meeting

A general summary was carried out as with staff and governors.

R A long period of uncertainty about the school has served to depress numbers and has had a negative impact on the school and people in the surrounding housing areas.

A The LEA recognises this and confirms that previous reviews may not have helped the falling NOR. However, the school still needs to be reviewed.

Q What was the recovery plan after the last review?

A The school was to try and raise its admissions.

Q Shouldn't the LEA have worked with the school in order to try and make this happen? Instead, the school have been left to do this on their own - a partnership with the LEA would have been much more successful.

A A period of time has been given for the school to improve.

R The axe has been hanging over the school for a long time and the constant reviews have been bad for the school and have put prospective parents off. If a positive aspect could have been maintained and the school promoted, then the school probably wouldn't be in the position it is now.

R "We will get them on the budget" was overheard from a councillor after the last review and we believe there was a vendetta against the school. There is nothing in the consultation document that says standards of education have declined at the school so why go all out to close it?

A The school is small and not attracting enough pupils to sustain it. The comments made by this particular councillor cannot be commented on. A new consultation is now being addressed and the school will be considered with a fresh view. Feedback and comments are now needed on why we should not close the school.

R There is fear that some parents have taken their children to other schools in the LEA due to the fears of closure at St Swithins. Siblings are also going to other schools. The location of St Swithins is important and a school which is near is needed. Feedback from parents whose children attend the school is very positive.

R We would be interested to know if Somer Housing has a policy on bringing families into the area and if new families move into this area over the next few years, will a new local school be identified as needed?

Q How many children are there on this estate?

A In the Walcot Ward, there are approximately 50. There has been no decline in the numbers over the years.

R The Council is striving for good education and St Swithins provides it in the parent's views. The reputation is good and it would be a backward move to close it.

R Some parents feel that families have moved from the area due to it not being "child friendly".

R In November 03, there were 50 children in this ward and over 80 in the whole area - this shows there is clearly a local need for children to go to a local school. It is sad that education has to be measured in financial terms rather than quality of care. The children and adults in this school all know one another very well and the relationships formed are valuable which you can only get in a small school. The children in the locality will be best served by being able to stay at St Swithins.

Q What are the nearest schools for our children?

A St Saviours Infant and Junior. St Andrews and Widcombe Infant and Junior.

Q How can people on benefits afford the extra transport to these schools?

Q Does the LEA acknowledge damage they have done by continual threats of closure?

A The first review as far as we remember was in 1982 and there have been around 6 or 7 reviews in total. The school is nominated for reviews due to current problems at that time, i.e. low numbers etc and the reviews are required by DfES, Audit Commission and Ofsted in order to investigate and resolve any potential problems.

R The school has needed to be promoted in order to raise the NOR and if this had happened in the past, then the numbers wouldn't have decreased so much. Bath and North East Somerset should have been more imaginative showing variety and opportunity at the school rather than just leaving it to cope on its own after all the reviews that have happened so far.

A The individual schools and whole area will be investigated as part of the consultation which will include surplus places but choice, quality and provision will also be considered. It is important to look at the bigger picture of educational provision in Bath & North East Somerset and not just to focus on individual schools.

Q Isn't it true that the LEA have cancelled funding for nursery provision at St Swithins?

A Yes.

R What we fear is that as it takes a lot of effort for parents to transport their children to an alternative nursery, a lot of children may not get a nursery education due to the unreasonable effort it takes to get them there.

R Breakfast clubs are also a lot of help for parents. At St Swithins, the personal touch has helped children to progress due to the nature of it being a small school. This will not be the case in a bigger school.

R The Foundation stage at St Swithins is considered much better than at other schools in the area.

R A child then commented who used to attend the school: - "I used to go to St Swithins and feel it is really friendly and everybody is nice to one another."

R SEN children have their needs met particularly well at St Swithins. There is a danger in these area reviews that they will be looked at and assessed in financial terms instead of quality of education. Costs should not be the main criteria for assessing schools otherwise a good education will diminish in place of cost cutting. Bath & Northeast Somerset should be looking at the social benefits and community long term strategy, environment etc. Social problems may arise if small schools close due to financial reasons.

R The government recently changed the deprivation index so that areas were not actually considered as part of their reviews but wards instead. Therefore the higher class areas tended to average out the deprived areas in Bath and the real figures weren't actually acknowledged.

A Information has recently been given to the LEA indicating that this way of assessing may actually change again in the near future.

Q Will Councillors do something to get Sure Start into Snow Hill as with Twerton etc?

A New money is coming in the future and we hope Bath & North East Somerset will be identified as receiving some of this. We cannot say as yet if this will happen.

R Resources around the area are numerous and a small school can take advantage of this. Large schools are unable to do this due to the large number of pupils and the logistics of monitoring large groups. St Swithins have ideal amount of children for taking advantage of local amenities.

R As the school is small, it can specialise in Early Years education as there is little competition with older children. Large class sizes are harder for children - this is not the case at St Swithins.

Q Is there a possibility of a new school being built in replacement of St Swithins?

A No, not in this area as the school has been identified as having surplus places and therefore may not be filled in a new school build either.

Q Is the projected roll due to double in Sept 04?

A The NOR will increase and will be taken into account but St Swithins is still the smallest school in the LEA.

R NOR are notional

A They are more than notional. It is our legal duty and a rational act to look at surplus or unfulfilled places and to investigate and take measures where appropriate.

Q If the school closes, how will 2 of the 4 schools in the area who are over-subscribed cope with the extra capacity? We only have 2 schools in the area that are not over-subscribed.

R There's enough money for the Spa though!

Q Aren't the numbers in the Walcot ward going up? This is another good reason why a nursery is needed.

A Yes, the numbers are going up slightly.

R There are a large number of families in the area who do not have cars. Little children will have to walk a long way in order to get to their nearest schools. Is it not more environmentally friendly to have school on your doorstep to prevent more traffic going to and from a school? The location of St Swithins means it is easy to supervise children and the security is good.

Q What provision is being made for parental choice?

A Parental choice is paramount. St Saviours is only itemised as this is the nearest school but there will be a choice of many more schools open to parents.

R Only small schools are closing though. The LEA are removing the choice of small schools for parents.

R There are many reasons why the LEA should invest in this area but infant schools are being eliminated due to amalgamation etc. Early Years is more developed in infant schools.

R It was pointed out that during each review, it has been particularly hard for teachers to continue doing their jobs and their school is under threat and the Headteacher wished it to be noted that the turnover in staff is very low and she has dedicated and caring teaching staff.

11 June is the closing date for all consultation responses.

Any one to one feedback was welcomed at the end of the meeting.