Have your say on changes to Biggleswade schools
Tuesday, 1 November 2022
A consultation has been launched seeking your feedback on proposals to change the Central Bedfordshire Council-maintained three-tier schools in the Biggleswade area to two-tier from September 2024.
This is part of the Schools for the Future programme, which is a long-term plan to raise education standards and make sure the Central Bedfordshire area has the right schools, in the right places, delivering the best education.
We are asking for your views on the proposals for Dunton Lower, Wrestlingworth Lower, St Andrew’s Lower (East and West) and Sutton Lower to become primary schools. Edward Peake Middle would become a secondary school.
These proposals were revised following feedback from a public consultation in the summer of 2021, alongside viability studies and revised data on pupil places and housing growth.
Earlier this month (11 October), our Executive Committee approved revised proposals for all schools and academies in the Biggleswade area to change to the two-tier model of education, including academies.
As they are independently run, each academy will be required to undertake its own consultation and submit a business case to the Department for Education (DfE) Regional Director for the East of England, seeking approval for the change of age range.
The revised proposal for the area showed that there was no requirement to build a new secondary school in the east of Biggleswade, as there would be too many surplus places. This could lead to low pupil numbers on roll and that could have a negative effect on children’s education because the school might not be able to recruit teachers and find difficulty in fulfilling a full curriculum.
This change also means that Edward Peake Middle and Lawnside Lower will remain on their current sites when they change to a secondary and primary school, respectively.
There was also local opposition to the option of moving Dunton and Wrestlingworth lower schools to a new site, so these two village schools will now remain on their existing sites, joining to become a split-site primary school. There will be a reduction of school places at Caldecote Academy and no new sixth-form provision.
Councillor Sue Clark, Central Bedfordshire Council Executive Member for Families, Education and Children, said:
Since consulting residents in the Biggleswade area, we have listened to the feedback, reviewed the latest data, and have revised the plan in collaboration with the schools and academies. We aim to improve the quality of education and moving to the two-tier model will align schools and academies in the area with the rest of the country, where most schools are either primary or secondary. This change will, for example, better enable our schools to attract and retain the best teachers. We are keen to hear the views of the local community before we make a final decision about the future of schools, so I would urge as many people as possible to have their say through this statutory consultation.”
The statutory consultation runs until 7 December and during this period, we will be hosting drop-in sessions, both in-person and online, if you would like to speak with an officer to ask questions about the proposals. The dates and times are available online, where there is further information and a consultation questionnaire for you to provide feedback.