Decision details

Seek approval to publish statutory notices proposing the expansion of Bathampton Primary,Castle Primary,Paulton Infant, Paulton Junior, Peasedown St John Primary and Weston All Saints CofE Primary schools to create additional pupil places.

(1) To PUBLISH a Statutory Notice proposing the expansion of Bathampton Primary school;

(2) To PUBLISH a Statutory Notice proposing the expansion of Castle Primary school;

(3) To PUBLISH a Statutory Notice proposing the expansion of Peasedown St. John Primary school;

(4) To PUBLISH a Statutory Notice proposing the expansion of Weston All Saints C of E Primary school; and

(5) To PUBLISH a Statutory Notice proposing the expansion of Paulton Infant school and Paulton Junior school.

There is a need for additional school places to be provided to meet existing and projected demand from the local population in these areas so that the Council can meet its statutory duty to provide sufficient school places and for these to be in the area in which they are needed and where the pupils are living.

Provision of additional places in these schools will facilitate local families being able to obtain a place for their children at their local school, which will help to strengthen community cohesion and make it viable for as many children as possible to be able to walk or cycle to school.

Expansion to create more places will help to increase parental choice in these areas of the Authority, particularly where a family might move into the area and require a school place mid- year.

The schools proposed for expansion have good educational standards with OFSTED ratings of Good or Outstanding and are popular with parents.  The Governing Bodies of the schools proposed for expansion are fully engaged with the expansion proposals process for their school.

To not expand any of the schools and not create any additional places:

This option was rejected as the Council has a statutory duty to ensure the provision of sufficient school places in the right area to meet demand and to promote diversity and increase parental choice. Projections of future pupil numbers based on underlying population growth and pupils generated from new housing development and parental preference indicate a future shortfall of primary school places in these areas of the Authority and at these schools if action is not taken to add more places.

To continue to use temporary short term solutions to the provision of additional school places:

This option was rejected as although temporary classrooms and one-off ‘bulge’ classes have been utilised to good effect in the past to create places in the short term, these are only temporary solutions and do not represent a workable strategy for the provision of additional places in the longer term where permanent solutions are required.

To expand other schools rather than the ones named:

This option was rejected as the schools chosen represent the most appropriate options for expansion as they have good educational standards, they are popular with parents, they are located in the areas of projected future demand from new housing and/or underlying population growth and the school sites are of a sufficient size to accommodate the expansion.