Liverpool City Council - Consultation on phase 1 of the Liverpool primary school review 2008/09

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Monday 1 December 2008

Consultation on phase 1 of the Liverpool primary school review 2008/09 (covering Kirkdale, Everton and Croxteth wards)

Contact officer: Sharyn Kinder, senior education officer, Strategic Planning

Tel: 0151 233 8222

Email: Sharyn.Kinder@liverpool.gov.uk.

Start date: 18 June 2008.

End date: 20 July 2008. 

Purpose of the exercise:

This exercise consulted on the proposals contained in the first phase of the Liverpool primary school review 2008/09.

Click on the names of the documents below to read more information on the proposals:

• Kirkdale and Everton wards full consultation document.

• Kirkdale and Everton summary leaflet.

• Croxteth ward full consultation document.

• Croxteth summary leaflet.

Who was consulted and how:

The following were consulted via a combination of face-to-face and written consultation:

• pupils and their parents, staff and governing bodies of the affected schools.

• relevant unions.

• councillors in the affected wards.

• the Archdiocese and the Diocese.

Who were the results of the exercise be reported to:

The results were reported to the council's executive board at their 12 September 2008 meeting. 

What were the findings of the exercise:

The majority of consultees that responded to the consultation, either by letter or attending a meeting, were supportive of the proposals that were consulted upon. The following are some of the matters raised:

Breckfield and Hope Valley.

• The Breckfield primary school community broadly welcomed the proposals to build a new school to cover the two communities covered by it and Hope Valley school - though there was some concerns about job security.

• At Hope Valley concerns were raised that the benefits of smaller classes currently enjoyed by the pupils would be lost in the proposed larger school.

• Both school communities were keen that they should federate under one governing body, with a single headteacher before the schools relocated into one building to help ensure the new building is embraced by both school communities.

Faith primary school.

• The proposal to rebuild the Faith primary school on the site of the former Campion secondary school site was welcomed by the Faith school community, with the chair of the school governors' response confirming this.

• Concern was expressed, by the chair of the governors of Our Lady Immaculate primary school and the parish priest of St. Anthony's, Our Lady Immaculate and Our Lady of Reconciliation, as they felt it would create additional places in an area already well provided for and would be further away from the Catholic population it was designed to serve.

Croxteth primary school.

• The school community welcomed the proposals to build a new school on its current site.

The full responses that were received as result of this consultation and the notes of the various meetings held in the affected schools can be read in the appendix to the report that was sent to the 12 September 2008 executive board meeting. 

Read the report and its appendix.

What are the changes to the service brought about as a result of the consultation:

The executive board approved the recommendations contained within the report that they received at their 12 September 2008 meeting. These were that officers were authorised to (contingent upon the Dept. for Children, Schools and Families approval of the council's primary strategy for change):

• work with the governing bodies of the Hope Valley and Breckfield community primary schools to assist them to federate the schools as precursor to the relocation into a new school building, and to return to the two school communities in the 2009/10 academic year to conduct a statutory consultation on the closure of one of the schools.

• process with plans for the provision of a new building for Faith primary school on the former Campion school site.

• proceed with plans for the provision of a new building for Croxteth community primary school.

Other than exploring the possibility of reducing surplus places, not action to be taken arising from phase one of the review in respect of the following primary schools:

• Holy Cross catholic primary school.

• Kirkdale St. Lawrence, C of E primary school.

• The Trinity catholic primary school.

• St. John's catholic primary school.

• Whitefield community primary school.

• Our Lady Immaculate catholic primary school.

• The Beacon C of E primary school.

• Everton Child and Family centre.

• Emmaus primary school.

• Our Lady and St. Swithin's catholic primary school.

Although there are indications that regeneration plans are beginning to be realised in the Kirkdale and Everton area, which may have a positive effect on demand for school places, given the current high level of surplus provision, the area be reviewed again after three years.