This evening?s meeting confirmed today?s announcement. The rumours about Homfield Primary (one of the four Braunstone primaries) are true: it?s set to close at the end of the academic year pending appeals none of which seem likely to change the Councils mind. Unfortunately, the three remaining schools will have to now absorb a substantial proportion of the displaced current and future intakes. This is going to put real pressure on all three schools particularly Millfield, which is already at near maximum capacity.
At the moment we can?t put hard figures on who?s going where. How many City children will have a right to continue to be educated in the County, how many families will move their children out of catchment, how will the remaining overflow be shared between the three schools? Will it be pro rata?d between the three remaining schools or will there be parental choice. Millfield is both a very successful and a very popular school (half of all applications are from out of catchment); this could lead to significant pressure to raise pupil numbers.
To help with costs we will be seeking to share in the capital receipt raised when the school and grounds are sold but this is unlikely to happen soon. Given the depressed state of the market the County Council may well decide to hold on to the land for a number of years until the market improves. The Governing body agreed to pursue this matter and in addition to look to the LEA for increased revenue funding.
One aspect that caused some concern was how many more Special Educational Needs pupils we might be expected to cater for. Millfield has a sterling reputation with regards to SEN pupils but its very success means that it receives a disproportionate number of applications for places from the parents of such pupils. The school itself, which is built on a hill and which has many disparate levels, is not naturally suited to the needs of the disabled at the best of times. An increase in this element of the overall school population could cause significant problems out of all proportion to the actual numbers involved.
What we know for certain, at the moment, is:
The three Braunstone Town schools will all have their Admission Numbers (IAN) increased from September 2010 to the maximum so that the Holmfield pupils can be accommodated.;
The Millfield IAN will increase from 50 to 55;
That Braunstone Town will become a single catchment area so parents will be able to apply to any of the three remaining schools;
There are no plans to put extra classrooms onto school sites, and
There is no likelihood of any extra funding for the schools.
While it?s not yet possible to nail down the figures the worse case scenario is frightening.
In this case we would admit 55 pupils to each year group through YR 1 ? YR 6.
While the earlier years (1-4) wouldn?t be too bad (27/28 pupils per class) potentially, because of the shortage of class rooms, Yrs 5 & 6 could end up being taught in-
3 parallel classes totalling 100 pupils.
This would mean 3 classes of 36/37 pupils per class!!!
Han is currently in Year 4 so these changes could have a pronounced effect on her remaining years at Millfield!
The problem is that the economic realist in me knows that there?s probably worse coming after the election when the new Government can no longer delay biting the financial crisis bullet. Perhaps now it?s time to grab a shotgun and take to the hills.
I finally made it to work for 22:20; not excessively busy tonight so I?ve had a chance to get my thoughts down on paper. JDM announced our PRP (performance related pay) and I got 4?s (4 top 1 bottom) across the board so I got the lot. So that?s an extra ?375 in next months pay.
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