How are changes decided?
Changes for maintained schools
These are schools that are maintained by Central Bedfordshire Council. These are the key steps along the process to develop and agree the plan for schools in each area to transition to the two-tier model of education:
1. Collaboration and development of a plan with schools:
The schools in each area work together to understand each other’s ambitions for change or growth and collaborate with Central Bedfordshire Council on a plan. Ideally, the aim is for a unanimous agreement, based on the principles of coordinated change. Otherwise, a broad majority of schools in favour of a proposal will be sought.
2. Viability and feasibility studies:
A viability study is an assessment of each school site and a rough plan of what might be delivered as part of the project. This will enable an early decision to proceed or not. If the scheme is considered deliverable alongside other schemes in the cluster, it will progress into a feasibility study. If the project(s) are not considered deliverable – the model for the area will likely need to be revised.
A feasibility study will undertake surveys and develop the early design work from the viability study and will assess each school’s existing accommodation and where any expansion or new classroom blocks could be located.
These stages are also an opportunity to understand other factors which may affect the project, including, but not limited to, planning constraints, highways issues and land conditions, as well as estimated costs. Should costs be beyond the budget available, then some changes in design may be required at this stage.
3. Development and publication of the proposals:
A draft plan will be published, taken to Central Bedfordshire Council’s Executive Committee and discussed in a public meeting with councillors asked to approve a public consultation with you at two separate stages. This will be a ‘Have Your Say’ consultation and a legal-required statutory consultation.
4. Have Your Say Consultation:
This is a public consultation where feedback is sought from you about the proposals for both maintained schools and academies. This will ideally run for between 6 and 12 weeks, though consideration will be given to accommodate school holidays when we know parents’ time is more limited. This is an important part of the process because it is the first time you will find out what the proposals are and be able to have your say in a way that may help shape the plan further.
5. Proposal reviewed:
Once the consultation closes, the feedback is considered and discussed between the schools and the council, and any changes deemed necessary will be made ahead of a statutory consultation, which is required by law.
6. Statutory consultation on proposed changes:
Each school in the area will be legally required to publicly consult on the specific changes that the plan requires of them. This is called a statutory consultation and is the second and final time that you can provide feedback. For council-maintained schools, this is led by Central Bedfordshire Council and the consultation period is four weeks. Academy schools will manage their own consultation on changes.
7. Final decision:
In a public Executive Committee meeting, councillors will be asked to consider the collective feedback from each statutory consultation for maintained schools and agree or reject the proposed changes to schools, and the proposed funding for all schools, whether maintained or academy. However, for academies, the Regional Directors Office is the decision maker (see the changes for academy schools section below)
8. Change:
If the proposals are approved by the Council’s Executive Committee, your school will change its age range to become either a primary or a secondary. Should it require physical changes, then planning permission will be sought for any necessary construction works to take place. In some instances, alternative solutions for the future of a school may also be considered for closure as part of the re-organisation. Where construction is required to expand a school, any building works will ideally be timed so that they are completed as the school becomes either a primary or secondary.
9. The process is complete:
Schools will either be primary or secondary and will have the facilities to accommodate this change and help improve educational outcomes.
Changes for academy schools
Academies are not funded by the council. They are funded by central government through the Department for Education, while policies on academies and changes to academies are set by the Secretary of State for Education and by Education Ministers.
Any proposal to change the size or age range of an academy, to open a new academy or to close an existing academy must be agreed upon by the Department for Education.
The Department for Education has divided the country into eight regions and each region has a Regional Director who has responsibility for taking decisions on changes to academies in line with policies set by Education ministers. Our region is the East of England.
Each Regional Director for the East of England has an advisory board, which considers all changes to academies and gives advice to Regional Director.
Academies and multi-academy trusts can propose changes themselves once they have conducted a local consultation with you and all interested parties including the council, other local schools and parents.
The Regional Director for the East of England decides on these proposals. The Department for Education can also propose changes to academies, and these are managed through the Regional Director.
These are the key steps along the process to develop and agree the plan for schools in each area:
1. Collaboration and development of a plan with schools:
The schools in each area work together to understand each other’s ambitions for change or growth and collaborate with Central Bedfordshire Council on a plan. Ideally, the aim is for a unanimous agreement, based on the principles of coordinated change. Otherwise, a broad majority of schools in favour of a proposal will be sought.
2. Viability and feasibility studies:
A viability study is an assessment of each school site and a rough plan of what might be delivered as part of the project. This will enable an early decision to proceed or not. If the scheme is considered deliverable alongside other schemes in the cluster, it will progress into a feasibility study. If the project(s) are not considered deliverable – the model for the area will likely need to be revised.
A feasibility study will undertake surveys and develop the early design work from the viability study and will assess each school’s existing accommodation and where any expansion or new classroom blocks could be located.
These stages are also an opportunity to understand other factors which may affect the project, including, but not limited to, planning constraints, highways issues and land conditions, as well as estimated costs. Should costs be beyond the budget available, then some changes in design may be required at this stage.
3. Development and publication of the proposals:
A draft plan is published, taken to Central Bedfordshire Council’s Executive Committee and discussed in a public meeting with approval sought from councillors to consult publicly with parents, residents and the local community at two separate stages. This will be a ‘Have Your Say’ consultation and then a final consultation conducted by each academy.
4. Have Your Say Consultation:
This is a public consultation where feedback is sought from you about the proposals for both maintained schools and academies. This will ideally run for between 6 and 12 weeks, though consideration will be given to accommodate school holidays when we know parents’ time is more limited. This is an important part of the process because it is the first time you will find out what the proposals are and be able to have your say in a way that may help shape the plan further.
5. Proposal reviewed:
Once the consultation closes, the feedback is considered and discussed between the schools and the council, and any changes deemed necessary will be made.
6. Academies consult on proposed changes:
Each academy in the area will be required to carry out its own consultation with you on the specific changes that the plan requires of them. This is the second and final time that you can provide feedback.
7. Final decision:
Each academy will be required to submit a business case to the DfE Regional Director for the East of England, seeking permission for a change of age range. Central Bedfordshire Council will support each academy with their change process, but it will be a decision for the Regional Director to agree or reject the proposed changes.
8. Change:
If the proposals are agreed upon, your academy will change to either a primary or a secondary. Should the academy require physical changes then planning permission will be sought for any necessary construction works to take place. Where construction is required to expand an academy, any building works could either be done at the same time that the academy transitions to become a primary or secondary, or it could be done with a phased schedule.
9. The process is complete:
Academies will either be primary or secondary and will have the facilities to accommodate this change and help improve educational outcomes.
What happens next?
Designs will need to be developed and planning applications made and approved for any building works to begin. Plans for each individual area and each school will be detailed during the consultation stage.