NORTH YORKSHIRE COUNCIL
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S SERVICE
CORPORATE DIRECTOR MEETING THE EXECUTIVE MEMBER FOR EDUCATION LEARNING AND SKILLS
7 January 2025
Springwater School, Starbeck – Proposal to increase numbers at Springwater School
1.0 PURPOSE OF REPORT
1.1 To provide the Executive Member with information upon which to make a decision on proposals published by North Yorkshire Council to permanently increase pupil numbers at Springwater School from 112 to 157 places from 1 September 2025.
2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2.1 On 3 September 2024 the Executive Member for Education, Learning and Skills gave approval for consultation on proposals to permanently increase pupil numbers at Springwater School, effective from 1 September 2025. The consultation commenced on 6 September 2024 and closed on 11 October 2024.
2.2 The Executive met on 5 November 2024 and considered the outcome of the consultation. They agreed to publish statutory proposals on 14 November 2024 giving 4 weeks until 12 December for representations to be made.
3 BACKGROUND
3.1 The Education and Inspections Act 2006 sets out the procedures for making changes to a maintained school. These are detailed in School Organisation regulations and guidance. The regulations and guidance apply to Local Authorities and governing bodies proposing to make changes, and to Local Authorities (including the Council’s Executive and Executive Members) acting as decision-makers.
3.2 The proposed expansion of Springwater School will help manage some of the school place pressures generated by the increase in the number of children with Education Health and Care Plans funded by the Local Authority. It will also provide wider benefits in educating children closer to their local communities and reducing travel time and costs.
4 PROPOSALS
4.1 North Yorkshire Council proposes:
· to permanently increase pupil numbers at Springwater School from 122 to 157 from the 1 September 2025.
5 RESPONSES TO STATUTORY PROPOSALS
5.1 The Statutory Proposals were published on 14 November 2024 with a representation period of 4 weeks (Appendix 1). The public notice, placed on the school gates and in the Harrogate Advertiser series newspaper, invited written objections or comments to be submitted by 12 December 2024. No responses to the statutory proposals were received.
6 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
6.1 School funding
Under Local Management of Schools, schools are responsible for their own budgets. It is for heads and governors to determine at school or federation level how to optimise the use of resources and maximise value for money.
6.2 Capital implications
As part of the Council’s Special Educational Needs Capital Investment Programme we have developed detailed proposals that will help us to expand and improve the facilities at the school.
6.3 Transport Costs
The proposed expansion of Springwater School will provide wider benefits in educating children closer to their local communities and reduce travel time and costs.
7 LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
REGULATIONS AND GUIDANCE
7.1 The consideration and determination of school organisation proposals by the Local Authority is set out in regulations and in guidance (Appendix 2) produced by the Department for Education. Careful regard has been had to these provisions.
PRELIMINARY CHECKS
7.2 The guidance requires that the Decision Maker must consider, on receipt of each proposal, whether any information is missing; whether the published notice of the proposal complies with statutory requirements; whether the statutory consultation has been carried out prior to the publication of the notice; and whether the proposal is related to other published proposals.
7.3 Having undertaken an audit of these preliminary checks, the Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services) advises that:
• all information required has been supplied;
• the published notice complies with statutory requirements;
• statutory consultation has been carried out prior to publication of the notice;
• and that the preliminary points for consideration have been dealt with sufficiently to permit the Executive to proceed to determine this proposal.
TYPES OF DECISION THAT CAN BE MADE
7.4 In considering proposals for making changes to school provision, the Executive, as Decision Maker can decide to:
• reject the proposals;
• approve the proposals;
• approve the proposals with a modification;
• approve the proposals subject to them meeting a specific condition (these conditions are specified in the School Organisation (Prescribed Alterations to Maintained Schools) (England) Regulations 2013, and are not considered applicable to this proposal).
8 PROCEDURE FOR THE MEETING
8.1 The Executive agreed on 25 September 2007 that in making a decision on school organisation proposals:
(a) The Executive must have regard to decision makers’ guidance published by the DfE and to the Executive Procedure Rules laid down in the North Yorkshire County Council Constitution.
(b) All decisions must give reasons for the decision, indicating the main factors/criteria for the decision.
9 REASONS FOR THE RECOMMENDATION
9.1 The consultation document, statutory proposals and report to the Executive set out the key issues.
10 HUMAN RIGHTS IMPLICATIONS
10.1 There are no Human Rights issues in relation to this decision.
11 Recommendations
11.1 That having undertaken the required preliminary checks, the Executive Member resolves that the four key issues listed above in paragraph 7.3 have been satisfied and there can be a determination of the proposals.
11.2 The following proposals be determined:
• to permanently increase the number of places at Springwater School, Starbeck can offer from 122 to 157, with effect from 1 September 2025.
Stuart Carlton
Corporate Director – Children and Young People’s Service
Report prepared by Sue Turley, Strategic Planning Team.
List of Appendices
Appendix 1: Statutory Notice and Statutory Proposal
Appendix 2: Making significant changes (‘prescribed alterations’) to maintained schools: Statutory guidance for proposers and decision makers
Background documents
Report to Executive, 5 November 2024
Report, Corporate Director’s Meeting with Executive Members, 3 September 2024