The end for tiniest schools?
A MULTI-MILLION pound shake-up of primary schools, which could spell the end of some of the smallest, has powered into its final stages.
Norfolk County Council is working to unify the county so children either go to one primary school until they are 11 or an infant school to age seven and junior school afterwards.
The focus of the review, which has already seen widespread change elsewhere, is now on Ashwicken, Gayton, Pott Row and tiny Church Hill first schools, where children currently leave aged eight.
Discussions have begun to determine if the already-small schools – the smallest of which, Church Hill, only has ten pupils in total – can survive the loss of a year group or will need to amalgamate.
Change is also moving closer in South Wootton, Hunstanton, Dersingham and Swaffham.
Norfolk County Council cabinet member for children's services Cllr Rosalie Monbiot said: "Nothing is going to be imposed on them. This is a discussion very much from the bottom up.
"It is expensive where we have to support these small schools, but money is not the object of this reorganisation. This is to do with education for the children and the best outcomes for them."
The changes come as the county council tries to ensure children do not have to move schools in the middle of what are termed key stages of education. Key Stage One encompasses ages five to seven and Key Stage Two is seven to 11.
Grimston Junior School, which currently has children aged eight to 11, could also be affected as it would have to start taking seven-year-olds and therefore gain a year group.
Huge investment may ultimately be needed to extend some schools or even build new ones to accommodate the changes. The county council's children's services review panel was told money was unlikely to be available for building works until 2013, but children could be accommodated in existing buildings to start with.
The primary school shake-up will move its attention to South Wootton in the spring term of next year, the children's services review panel agreed.
A report to the panel said the governing bodies of South Wootton First, where children currently leave at eight, and South Wootton Junior, have already expressed an interest in pupils moving up to the junior school a year earlier.
Plans to merge Hunstanton Infant School with Redgate Junior in Collingwood Road are also now being fully tested. Governors at both schools have agreed to a partnership under the leadership of Redgate headteacher on the Redgate site, the report said.
The idea of merging Dersingham Infant and Dersingham St George's Junior is also continuing to be investigated. The report said although potential sites have been identified the work is still in early stages.
Further discussions are planned to explore the possibility of "greater collaboration" between Swaffham Junior, which is currently in Special Measures, and Hammonds High School, it added.
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Weather for King's Lynn
Saturday 11 February 2012
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