New Primary and Secondary school places

New Primary and Secondary School Places for Burngreave: Have your say!

(Information as sent out by Sheffield Council)

We think all Sheffield families should have access to great, inclusive schools in every area of the city. With a growing population across the city, we need to make more school places available so that families can get a school place for their child in the local area. We have already expanded four local primary schools in the Burngreave and Fir Vale area and opened two new primary schools. We now need to add more places at both the primary and secondary level and we want to ask you how this should be done.

We need to make sure there are 30 more primary places per year in Burngreave from 2017 onwards to add to those already provided at the new primary schools. We also need open a new secondary school so that all children in the Burngreave and Fir Vale area can get a secondary school place in their community. With more children coming through primary schools, we estimate that by 2018, 150 more secondary school places will be needed each year.

We now want to talk to local families, residents and groups in your area to hear what you think of these plans before any decisions are taken. These will be your schools for your children, so it is really important that you tell us what would make you want to apply for these new school places.

What are the proposals?

To carry out an options appraisal to find the best way to offer 30 more primary school places in the Burngreave area: Option 1: Add a primary phase to the new secondary school outlined below Option 2: An expansion of one of the local schools We want to listen to feedback from families, stakeholders and the local community about which of these is the best option to pursue. We will also look at the technical feasibility of these options during the appraisal process.

An excellent new secondary school through the refurbishment and extension of the former Pye Bank School building in Burngreave to open in September 2018 offering 150 places per year and considering options for post-16 places to serve a wider area in partnership with other providers.

What could this mean for you?

We know that the local primary schools and Fir Vale Secondary will not be able to provide enough places for the growing number of children living in the area. Making these extra school places available will mean that children in Burngreave and Fir Vale will be able to get a place in a local school. We want you to get involved in this consultation to help shape the proposals for these new school places so that they are successful and popular with parents.

What happens now?

The first step is for us to listen to the views of families, the local community and local schools before any decisions are taken. This consultation starts on 5 October. The deadline for receipt of comments is Friday 20 November 2015.

How to make a response: Families, staff, governors, dioceses, residents and community organisations are all being consulted. Your views are vital so please take time to be part of this consultation. You can tell us what you think by doing one of the following:

Completing the online survey at https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/schoolplaces 

Completing an online response form at https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/schoolplaces 

Booking on and attending one of the workshops described below

Workshops: We are holding five workshops during the consultation period. These workshops will be an opportunity to look at each of the proposals in more detail and discuss their implications. The workshops will be interactive and focused on hearing and receiving your feedback.

The workshops will be held at:

St Mary’s Church (Bramall Lane), Monday 2nd November, 6:30-8:00pm 

St Mary’s Church (Bramall Lane), Wednesday 4th November, 6:30-8:00pm

The workshops are open to anybody to attend, bookable on a first come, first served basis. If you would like to attend, please contact schoolreorganisation@sheffield.gov.uk or tel: 0114 250 6783 (bookings).

What happens after the consultation?

After the consultation period, all of the views from the consultation will be put together in a report to Sheffield City Council’s Cabinet. Councillors can then look at what has been said before deciding how to proceed.

If the proposals are approved by Cabinet, the proposals will be developed in more detail. This will include developing designs to go through the planning process, looking for provider for the new school, and agreeing admissions criteria. These will all require separate processes, and parents, families and the local community will have another chance to comment on these aspects. We will keep you informed about how you can be involved.

Further information about the proposals, including a detailed consultation document explaining the background to the proposals, answers to some of the key questions and an online survey and form to submit your thoughts are available at https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/schoolplaces.