Agenda item

To approve propsals relating to reducing the pupil admission number (PAN) of both Cape Primary School and Uplands Manor Primary School, Smethwick. 

Agreed:-

(1)     That in connection with the proposed prescribed alterations to reduce the pupil admission number (PAN) of Cape Primary School, Cape Hill, Durban Road, Smethwick, B66 4SH and Uplands Manor Primary School, Addenbrooke Road, Smethwick, B67 6HT by a form of entry with effect from 1 September 2023 approval be given to:

(1)     publish the appropriate statutory proposals for each school;

(2)     delegate the decision for the prescribed alternations to the Director of Children’s Services and Education, following completion of the statutory consultation period, and to request the School Adjudicator to make a final decision on the proposals to reduce the PAN’s by a form of entry as the Authority has already determined its admission arrangements for those maintained schools for 2023/24 academic year. 

Approval was sought to proposals to reduce the pupil admission number (PAN) of both Cape Primary School and Uplands Manor Primary School, Smethwick.

The Vice Chair of the Economy, Skills, Transport and Environment Scrutiny Board, on behalf of the Chair of Children’s Services and Education Scrutiny Board, asked if there were any plans to use the places/premises within the borough that were seeking to reduce their PANS to help with the growing number of places needed for children with Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs).

The Cabinet Member for Children and Education confirmed that plans had been made through the Special Schools Place Planning Strategy to do so.  As part of the initial discussion with each school that approached the Council seek a reduction in PAN, re-purposing of space for SEND was included as part of that dialogue.

Although not as a direct result of a falling roll, the Council had a recent example at Grace Mary Primary School, where focus provision had been extended through the re-use of surplus space. Uplands Manor Primary School had already expanded its focus provision to re-use surplus areas.

The Council would continue to support schools with additional resources who had the knowledge, expertise and skills to train staff, to enable an extension to, or form a new Focus Provision Unit/ Resource Base at their school. 

ASD was the only one area of SEND that required additional specialist school place capacity.  Officers were also looking to meet demand for extra support for children with a multitude of specialist needs.

Reasons for recommendations

The reduction in the Pupil Admission Number (PAN) would lessen the impact on the schools’ budgets where the existing PAN was not being filled as the projected demand was considerably less than the PAN.

Alternative options considered

Do nothing and keep the PAN at their existing numbers – the Reception classes were not forecast to fill to their maximum, meaning the schools would not receive the maximum funding to enable the required classes per year group. There would be an expectation from the Local Authority that the schools could still take up to the maximum number of pupils throughout the whole intake year. This may have resulted in a high number of in-year allocations that could potentially require changes to class organisation during the school year which was detrimental to the pupils and the school.

Resolvedthat in connection with the proposed prescribed alterations to reduce the pupil admission number (PAN) of Cape Primary School, Cape Hill, Durban Road, Smethwick, B66 4SH and Uplands Manor Primary School, Addenbrooke Road, Smethwick, B67 6HT by a form of entry with effect from 1 September 2023 approval be given to:

(1)          publish the appropriate statutory proposals for each school;

(2)          delegate the decision for the prescribed alternations to the Director of Children’s Services and Education, following completion of the statutory consultation period, and to request the School Adjudicator to make a final decision on the proposals to reduce the PAN’s by a form of entry as the Authority has already determined its admission arrangements for those maintained schools for 2023/24 academic year.