On Monday, School Heads were given a document marked "Confidential".

Fair enough, we have no problem with that - it remained a confidential document.

On Tuesday, however, the very same document is "leaked" to the press by Serco and the City Executive.

In the City Council's advertisement for a Spin Doctor (see our Editorial Big Brother in Stoke), the phrase "There has been an unfortunate culture of leaking by councillors and officers" is used.

Yet here is the Executive and Serco deliberately leaking a Confidential Document that will not be released to the public for another week.

Sheer hypocrisy!

Transformation in Stoke-on-Trent: Consultation on Future Secondary and Special School Provision in the City Letter from Elected Mayor Mark Meredith

Why are we proposing a change to secondary and special schools?

Stoke-on-Trent has been offered a marvellous opportunity to transform secondary education across the City. The government's programme of Building Schools for the Future (BSF) could provide approximately £200 million to rebuild or refurbish all secondary and special schools. Before we can spend this money we have to submit proposals to the Government saying how many schools we need, how many places they should offer and how they will be governed. In order to do this we are consulting parents, governors, staff and other stakeholders involved in the future of education in Stoke-on-Trent.

For several years now the number of young people of secondary age has been falling both locally and nationally. Numbers will continue to fall for at least the next eight years. By 2015 there will be approximately 12,000 young people aged 11-16 in Stoke-on-Trent Secondary Schools, compared with over 15,000 three years ago. We know this because we know how many children there are in our primary schools, and we know how many children are being born in the City. We expect the regeneration of the City to increase this number slightly but not significantly. The birth rate throughout the country is low and the average family now has 1.8 children, compared with an average of 2.4 children in the 1970s. In the medium to long term, of course, the population of 11-16 year olds may go up or down. It is therefore important that we have some flexibility in our plans for schools.

Despite some very good performances, overall exam results in the City are below the national average. When the results of all 150 local authorities in England are compared, Stoke-on-Trent is third from bottom. If we are to ensure that future generations of children do better, we need to transform our Secondary Schools. This transformation will not be easy and will take time. We want to ensure that our young people have access to the most modern computer technology and specialist facilities, that they are taught in light, pleasant surroundings and that all their learning needs are catered for. Building Schools for the Future could give us an exciting opportunity to achieve all these goals. It will enable us either to build completely new schools or to refurbish existing buildings.

It is proposed that we create a network of twelve vibrant secondary schools serving the city. Three of these will have separate special schools co-located or closely linked to secondary sites. We are also proposing one further special school for young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, on a site of its own.

This document is part of a consultation which will last until 11th January 2008.


We are keen to hear as many views as possible. Meetings will be organised at all Secondary and Special Schools and for parents of children in primary schools. Importantly, young people themselves will also be consulted along with other stakeholders including local Colleges, Universities and Health Services. You can also visit our website at www.stoke.gov.uk/reorganisation.

This is the beginning of a fantastic journey towards providing a twenty-first century education service for all our children in Stoke-on-Trent. Please take this opportunity to have your say and help us shape that future.

 Mark Meredith, Elected Mayor

1. Our Vision

On 12th October 2007 the Elected Mayor held a summit where over 300 partners were invited to hear our vision for transforming secondary and special education in Stoke-on-Trent by developing high quality teaching and learning delivered in 21st Century facilities.
We will achieve this by:

• Placing the Learner at the Centre

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is committed to continuously improving the quality of teaching and learning so that young people acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and personal qualities necessary to achieve well and succeed in adult life.

We want to broaden the curriculum opportunities available to young people so they can follow courses closely tailored to their needs, interests and aspirations.

We want to make the best use of new technology to improve learning.

We are committed to making the most of the joint opportunities which this development makes possible.

• Supporting high quality leadership, management and staff development

We place an emphasis on developing leadership and management skills of staff and so they can play a full role in further improving educational outcomes in Stoke-on-Trent.

These developments are dependent on effective ongoing professional development and the retention of high quality teachers and other staff in Stoke-on-Trent.

• Placing the school at the heart of the community

We want to enable young people to succeed, whatever their background, in order to help them overcome any disadvantage. We aim to promote cohesion in our community. We are committed to promoting the five outcomes of the national Every Child Matters programme through extended school and other provision. That is to:

• Be healthy
• Stay safe
• Enjoy and achieve
• Make a positive contribution
• Achieve economic well-being

We want to work closely with, and make provision for, the wider community our schools serve. Depending on the school, this might include facilities for sports, arts, other recreational activities, nursery provision and healthcare.

We are committed to all schools becoming specialist colleges and to working with partners to promote high achievement in their specialist area(s).

• Creating an environment for learning

We are committed to ensuring all available resources (including BSF funding) are used to provide learning environments which are safe, stimulating, fit for purpose and fully support the flexible learning approaches promoted within the BSF vision for Stoke-on-Trent.

• Developing the Citywide dimension

Our vision to completely revitalise secondary education in the City is forward-looking and comprehensive. It links strongly to the wider regeneration and economic plans of the City. Finally, it will link to the Cultural and Sports Strategies to form part of the City's wider vision for transformation.

2. Transformation

The Stoke-on-Trent BSF programme will transform secondary education by providing high quality learning environments for children and young people. Reorganisation of secondary education will mean fewer, better schools, each designed to be the right size for the number of pupils with better buildings and facilities. These new institutions will build on the strong and growing practice of working together across the City's schools and colleges. During the change, great care will be taken to make sure our current schools keep on improving as they have been in recent years.

The programme is not just about buildings and sites. Each school will offer a core of high quality teaching and learning, while providing its own particular, high quality contribution to the Citywide curriculum. Young People will benefit


from the excellence of their own school and be able to draw on the quality and range of specialisms across Stoke-on-Trent's schools and colleges.

The buildings and the work done in them will be designed to meet young people's learning needs and to personalise how and what they learn. The flexible use of space will encourage a variety of learning and teaching styles and activities to help individuals in small groups and larger gatherings. The use of technology will make learning easier, more detailed and more accessible. Young people's access to learning should not be limited by the length of a school day or access to facilities, real or online. Flexible use of space and technology will be used to remove barriers allowing the widest range of young people to learn alongside each other. For those for whom this proves too great a challenge, Special Schools built next to or close by mainstream schools will help cooperation across schools giving all pupils access to high quality, wide ranging and appropriate opportunities for success.

The powerful mix of new facilities, state-of-the-art technology, joint-working and shared good practice will focus on:-

• ensuring excellent teaching and learning leading to excellent results for young people
• providing the widest range of opportunities for young people
• maximising the accessibility of learning and encouraging a thirst for lifelong learning.    

3. Our Current Schools in Stoke-on-Trent
At present, there are:

Twelve Community Schools

• Berry Hill School & Sports College
• Birches Head High School
• Blurton High School, Business & Enterprise Specialist College
• Brownhills High School, Maths & Computing College
• Edensor High School & Technology College
• Holden Lane High School & Specialist Sports College
• James Brindley High School & Science College
• Longton High School & Arts College
• Mitchell High School
• Sandon High School & Business & Enterprise College
• Thistley Hough High School
• Trentham High School

Three Catholic Aided Schools

• St. Joseph's College
• St. Margaret Ward Catholic High School & Arts College
• St. Thomas More Catholic College

One Church of England Aided School

• St. Peter's High School & International Language College

One Foundation School

• Haywood High School & Engineering College

Five Special Schools

• Abbey Hill School & Performing Arts College
• Aynsley Special School
• Heathfield Special School
• Kemball Special School
• Middlehurst Special School

Current and Projected Numbers on Roll to 2014:
 

TOTAL SCHOOL POPULATIONS 11-16
	Jan	11 +	12+	13+	14+	15+	Totals
Actual	2002	3053	2993	3042	2852	2618	14558
	2003	2999	3050	2968	3021	2739	14777
	2004	2881	2995	3033	2932	2926	14767
	2005	2738	2880	2976	3034	2863	14491
	2006	2611	2739	2869	2967	2968	14154
	2007	2580	2583	2714	2868	2926	13671
Projected	2008	2446	2578	2590	2723	2840	13177
	2009	2536	2433	2572	2585	2705	12831
	2010	2420	2534	2426	2564	2572	12516
	2011	2380	2410	2523	2424	2548	12285
	2012	2371	2379	2400	2517	2412	12079
	2013	2374	2359	2367	2394	2508	12002
	2014	2345	2370	2355	2368	2387	11825

4.       Our Proposals - in summary
Our favoured option (a) is that all 22 secondary and special schools should close, and that 12 new secondary and 4 new special schools should open in their place. This option is explained in more detail in the rest of this section.
However, there are other options that could be considered and on which we would welcome your comments -
b) closing only those 9 secondary schools which need to close either because they are changing status to become academies or because education is no longer to be provided on the site;
c) closing all local authority schools and opening a smaller number but leaving faith schools out of the proposals for closure;
d) leaving St Joseph's Catholic College out of the closure proposals given its particular circumstances.




In our favoured proposals three Catholic Schools will open. Two of them, the current St. Thomas More and St. Margaret Ward, will change their admission arrangements to admit an agreed number of non-Catholics. St Joseph's will have an increased number of post-16 places. St. Peter's Church of England School will become an Academy and move to the current 6th Form site in the University Quarter.

5.       The New Schools

We are proposing that Stoke-on-Trent should have twelve secondary schools and four special schools. These will be made up of:

• One Academy sponsored by the Woodard Trust, in partnership with the Church of England
• Three Academies sponsored by the Local Authority and/or by other partners
• Three Catholic Aided Secondary Schools
• Five Trust Schools sponsored by the local authority and other partners
• Three Special Schools which will developed alongside or near to Secondary Schools, and
• One Special School on a separate site.

6.        Special Schools

We propose to create three special schools supporting students with a range of special educational needs next to, or near, secondary schools. This will allow some pupils to access facilities not normally available in a special school, and to join some mainstream lessons, if appropriate.

The potential sites are the new schools occupying the current James Brindley, Birches Head and Blurton sites. These will give parents a wide range of options across the City. The special schools will remain separate from their local mainstream school but will be able to support pupils who can benefit from access to the broader range of curriculum facilities. Each will have 120 places and cater for children and young people aged 2-19.

We propose one new special school for up to 60 young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. This will not be built alongside a mainstream school, but will have its own premises.

7.        School Specialisms

A number of current schools hold specialist subject status. These specialisms should not be lost in the reorganisation. We also want to ensure schools without specialisms, and all new schools, soon attain them. We believe it is important that all major curriculum areas are offered and will work with new governing bodies to plan which schools should develop which specialisms to ensure a good distribution across the City.

8.        City Learning Centres

Stoke-on-Trent currently has two City Learning Centres, These would not be affected by our proposals and will continue to operate, even if the schools they are currently associated with cease to exist.


9.       Governance

The Government wants all local authorities to look at new ways of providing secondary education. In particular, authorities are being encouraged to work with a wide range of partners, and to give schools as much independence as possible.

In response to this, Stoke-on-Trent City Council plans to establish academy sponsors and Education Trusts which will support the work of all secondary schools, other than those which are Voluntary Aided Schools. These arrangements could include the Council, local colleges, universities and employers. The sponsors and Trusts will be involved in the appointment of Governors, but schools will run themselves and be responsible for developing high quality provision. The sponsors and Trusts will also help schools with future planning, and developing specialist facilities. We believe that these arrangements will strike the right balance between giving schools freedom to develop while creating a family of local schools which share responsibility for all our young people.

10.     The Favoured Proposal in more detail

In this section we outline in more detail our proposal for the new schools. Please remember that we are talking about current and new sites. All existing schools will close and twelve will open as new schools. Most will have new governance arrangements and, in many cases, new buildings. It is proposed that all schools should close on 31st August 2010, and re-open on 1st September. In some cases, the new buildings will not be ready until after this date, so some new schools will continue to operate in existing premises until their buildings are ready.

a)       New School at Burslem Bank Top
It is proposed to establish a new school at Bank Top in Burslem offering 180 places in each year group, or 900 places overall. This would be a Trust school serving the local community. The school will be encouraged to apply for a specialism in a subject yet to be determined. If pupil numbers in the City increase, this school could eventually have 1,200 places.

b)       New School at Park Hall
It is proposed to open a new Academy on a site near the junction of Dividy Road and Anchor Road. Two possible sites are being investigated. This new school would serve local communities by offering 240 places in each year group, or 1200 places overall. The specialism is yet to be determined. Post-16 facilities may be available either at this school, or at the Longton site (see below).

c)       Birches Head
Birches Head is one of our largest school sites, and has recently been remodelled to cater for 750 students. While this will be big enough for the immediate future, we anticipate there may be a need to increase this number to 900 in a few years when additional new buildings will be needed.
A special school could be associated with this site, either by building it on the current school grounds, or by making use of a nearby school. This school will be an all-age special school catering for a wide range of needs. It will have approximately 120 places available. Admission will be by assessment and statement of special education needs.

d)       Berry Hill
With falling student numbers it is believed more choice and better facilities can be offered on other sites. Under these proposals, Berry Hill will close and we expect most parents will access places at the new St. Peter's Academy (see below), Birches Head or the new school proposed for Park Hall (see above).

e)       Blurton
This is a large site with good access. Additional adjacent land may also be available. The building itself is in poor condition. Future numbers suggest one school is needed to cater for the communities currently served by Blurton, Trentham and part of the current Edensor catchment area. The proposed new school will be a purpose-built Academy with 240 places in each year group. It will have new access which will make it easily accessible to the communities it will serve. In addition this school will have a range of community facilities and possible provision for post-16 learning.
We are proposing the new school should have a special school alongside it on the site, allowing those students access to facilities where and when appropriate. The special school will offer approximately 120 places to children with statements of special educational need.

f)         Brownhills
We propose to expand the current school site, taking adjacent land into the school's use for educational and community use. Regeneration proposals suggest the population in the local area will grow. The current school buildings have reached the end of their natural life and will need replacing. We propose the new school should be an Academy with 240 places in each year group.

g)        Edensor
It is proposed not to use this site. The position of the site makes access difficult, and the overall size of the site does not meet current standards. It is likely families in this area will choose the new school proposed for Park Hall. Alternatively, places will be available at the Blurton site or at St. Thomas More.

h)       Haywood

This site does not meet government standards and cannot be extended so it is proposed not to have a school here. Families in this area will have access to the new school planned for Burslem Bank Top or to the new Academy on the Brownhills site, or to the new Catholic school on the James Brindley site. The City Learning Centre would continue on its current site.

i)        Holden Lane
The council plans to keep a school on this site, which already has other community facilities. The new school would offer 210 places per year group or 1050 places overall. The school would be a Trust school. The current buildings will be refurbished and modernised.

j)        James Brindley
This site has great potential although the current building will need to be replaced. It is intended to make this the site of a new Catholic Aided School. It would serve the whole community by offering 240 places in each year group, at least 90 of which will be available to non-Catholics living in the area. This school would be an 11-19 school. Families in the area will also have the option to seek places at the new school at Burslem Bank Top or the proposed academy at Brownhills.
We would like to remodel the current Middlehurst Special School in its present location, which adjoins the current James Brindley site, so the two schools may cooperate closely in ensuring better access to mainstream facilities.

k)       Longton
It is not intended to use this site. Pupil numbers have fallen and we believe we can offer better facilities at other schools, including Sandon, the proposed new school at Park Hall (see above) or at St. Thomas More. Consideration is being given to using part of the site for better post-16 provision. The City Learning Centre would be unaffected and continue to operate as at present.

I)         Mitchell
It is proposed not to use this site. Although it is a large site the building needs replacing and pupil numbers in the area have decreased. We believe we can offer families in this area better facilities at Birches Head or the new school proposed for Park Hall (see above), both of which are within two miles of Mitchell High School.

m)      Thistley Hough
This site is currently slightly too small, but adjacent land can be taken into use for education and managed community access. The current buildings are seventy years old and need replacing. It is intended to build a new Trust school offering 240 places in each year group.

n)       Trentham
It is not proposed to reopen a school on this site. Pupil numbers are declining in this area, and by 2015 it is likely that the school would only have about 500 students. We believe a much stronger and more successful new Academy


can be created on or near to the Blurton site, which is larger and more appropriately located.

o)       Sandon
The new school is due for completion in December 2007. With further minor adaptations, a school on this site will be able to offer 180 places in each year group, or 900 places overall. We propose this should be a Trust School with a specialism in Business and Enterprise.

p)       St. Joseph's College, 11-19
This site is very compact, and some of the buildings need improving. It is proposed the school closes. The trustees propose to reopen a new, expanded sixth form facility and that some other parts of the school are refurbished. 120 places will be available in each 11-16 year group.

q)       St. Margaret Ward, 11-19
It is proposed not to use this site and that the school should close. The trustees propose to open a new Catholic School on the current James Brindley site with an agreed number of places for pupils from the local community provided in addition to the Catholic places. The total number of places in any year group would be 240 giving a school of 1200 11-16 places, plus sixth form.   

r)        St. Peter's High School
It is proposed not to keep a school on this site. St. Peter's would become a Church of England Academy sponsored by the Woodard schools and move to the current 6 Form Centre site. It would give first preference on the grounds of Christian faith. However, places will also be available for children of families who live close to the school, such as the current Berry Hill and Mitchell communities. The new Academy will offer up to 240 places in each year group and offer a specialism in languages, with a possible second specialism in Sports.

s)       St. Thomas More, 11-19
It is proposed that this school will close and that the Trustees open an expanded Catholic school serving the whole community. The net capacity will increase to provide a total of 210 places in each year group for both Catholic and non-Catholic pupils supportive of the school's ethos. The school buildings will be expanded and refurbished, and have additional playing fields made available by the proposed closure of Edensor Technology College.

t)        Special Schools
We propose to create three special schools supporting students with a range of special educational needs next to, or near, secondary schools. This will allow some pupils to access facilities not normally available in a special school, and to join some mainstream lessons, if appropriate.

The potential sites are on or near to the new schools occupying the current James Brindley, Birches Head and Blurton sites. These will give parents a


wide range of options across the City. The special schools will remain separate from their local mainstream school but will be able to support pupils who can benefit from access to the broader range of curriculum facilities. Each will have 120 places and cater for children and young people aged 2-19.

We propose one new special school for up to 60 young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. This will not be built alongside a mainstream school, but will have its own premises.

11.     Admissions and Catchment Areas.
By far the most important question for any parent is, "will my child be allowed into the school I want them to attend?" Most families want their children to attend local schools, but some want to be able to choose another school, for example, on the grounds of religious belief, or because the school offers a specialism in a particular subject.

For Academy, Trust and Aided Schools, the Governing Body is responsible for setting the admissions criteria. We are therefore proposing that, for three of the Academies and for the five Trust Schools, new consortia made up of the sponsors, local authority, the local colleges, local universities and local employers should appoint most of the governors. By this method we can help ensure that these schools operate admissions policies which give priority to local children and ensure an inclusive city-wide approach. The Catholic Voluntary Aided Schools and the Church of England Academy will operate admissions policies which give priority to members of those faiths, and then to other children, including those who live locally, as they do at present.

As now, admissions to special schools will be based on a child's statement of education need.

We are not proposing to continue with catchment areas. Since 1981 parents have been allowed to express a preference for any school and, if the school has places available, the child must be admitted. Catchment areas only apply when schools are over subscribed or, in rural areas, when free transport is provided.

Earlier this year the Government issued a new Code of Practice which all schools must follow, regardless of the way they are governed. In future, parents will be able to express a preference for any school and will be offered a place if there is space. If a school is full we will recommend to all school governors places are allocated either by offering places to children living nearest to the school or by other fair means. This will prevent schools from selecting pupils according to ability and be fairest to all families. The only exception will be Voluntary Aided ("Faith") Schools which will offer some places on faith grounds, and some to members of the local community.

12.      Post-16 Provision

Stoke-on-Trent has a good reputation for post-16 provision, and we want to build on this. The government has stated it wants ail young people to continue learning after the age of 16 and we fully support this development. We are currently developing a joint approach between the FE College, the Sixth Form College, current post-16 providers and other schools. These will work together to plan and deliver all 16-19 provision across the city. Although we are not proposing the creation of any new sixth forms, we may want some schools to have suitable facilities to offer post-16 provision on site. This provision will be planned by the group, and will offer a wide range of opportunities to all learners, whatever their need.

13. How we will move from the Current Provision to the New Arrangements
Such big changes can be very unsettling for young people and their families as well as for staff in the schools. We are determined to make sure children who attend our secondary and special schools over the next few years do not lose out in any way. Most young people will be able to stay at whichever school they attend in September 2010 until the new school buildings are ready. For pupils at those schools which close the transfer to new schools will be well planned and properly managed.

A detailed time table is available on our website (www.stoke.gov.uk/reorganisation). In summary, if the proposals go ahead, new governing bodies will be established from the Summer 2008. Heads will be appointed to the new schools in January 2009, and other staff during 2009 ad 2010. The new schools will open in September 2010. In some cases, they will operate in existing school buildings while their new buildings are completed.

Any young person on an exam course in years 10 and 11 will continue to receive their education on their current school site unless parents wish otherwise. If the school they attend has officially closed the site will continue to be managed by another school. Parents of young people in year 9 or below in 2009 will be consulted on the most appropriate school for their son or daughter to attend.

Full discussion will take place with staff and their unions/associations so that we ensure quality staff are retained and recruited.

14.      Consultation
During the Autumn Term meetings will be held at each of the schools secondary and special schools to discuss the proposals with staff, governors and parents (dates and venues are set out in the letter accompanying this booklet). Councillors and officers will explain the proposals in more detail and answer questions. The results of these meeting will be reported to councillors at the end of the consultation period.

We have also been consulting young people through a number of specially arranged meetings held in September and October.


Meetings for parents of primary age pupils are also being arranged in November along with meetings for community groups, colleges and other partners.

15.      Further Information
For reasons of space this document can only contain a summary of the proposals. For further details including projected school rolls, background papers, vision statements and more technical information, please see our website www.stoke.gov.uk/reorganisation.

16.      How to Express your Views
Attached to this document is a reply form. Please complete and return it to Ged Rowney, Director of Children and Young People's Services, Floor 2, Civic Centre, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 1RU by 11th January 2008.

Alternatively, please visit our website and use the electronic feedback form, or email us at consultation@stoke.gov.uk

Secondary and Special School Reorganisation Proposals Reply Form
Your Name	A teacher
Are you: (tick as appropriate)	Student
	Governor
	Parent
	Other

Comments

Thank you. We may not be able to reply to you individually, but all comments will be taken into account before any decisions are made.

Please return to: Ged Rowney, Director of Children & Young People's Services, Floor 2, Glebe Street, Civic Centre, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 1RU.



Reply to the City Executive and Serco:

"Placing the school at the heart of the community. We want to work closely with, and make provision for, the wider community our schools serve". Good. How about recognising the fact that Haywood is already at the heart of this Community. If you really want to work closely with the wider community that the school serves, then do it!

But, later in the document:
"new consortia made up of the sponsors, local authority, the local colleges, local universities and local employers should appoint most of the governors. By this method we can help ensure that these schools operate admissions policies which give priority to local children and ensure an inclusive city-wide approach". There is no mention of community involvement in the appointment of Governors. Nor mention of Parent Governors.

And:
"We are not proposing to continue with catchment areas. Since 1981 parents have been allowed to express a preference for any school and, if the school has places available, the child must be admitted. Catchment areas only apply when schools are over subscribed or, in rural areas, when free transport is provided". In case it has passed you by, Haywood is oversubscribed. The abolition of catchment areas can only serve to divorce schools from their local community. This act alone negates your statement "Placing the school at the heart of the community". How can a school be at the heart of a community if it does not serve any particular community.

"It is proposed to establish a new school at Bank Top in Burslem offering 180 places in each year group, or 900 places overall. This would be a Trust school serving the local community. The school will be encouraged to apply for a specialism in a subject yet to be determined. If pupil numbers in the City increase, this school could eventually have 1,200 places". So, this new school would serve the local community. Haywood already does that. The number of available places in the school would be reduced. The local community produces more pupils than the 900 places on offer. HAYWOOD IS OVERSUBSCRIBED! It would be encouraged to apply for a specialism yet to be determined. Haywood already has an Engineering specialism - which is rooted in the school's history. This new school could eventually have 1200 places. Until you interfered, Haywood had 1100 pupils, and was oversubscribed.

"It will enable us either to build completely new schools or to refurbish existing buildings". Fine, your choice. But on the Haywood site, please.

"This site does not meet government standards and cannot be extended so it is proposed not to have a school here. Families in this area will have access to the new school planned for Burslem Bank Top or to the new Academy on the Brownhills site, or to the new Catholic school on the James Brindley site. The City Learning Centre would continue on its current site". What government standards does the site not meet? Buildings can quite easily be made on two or more stories, as most Year 7 pupils at Haywood Engineering College could easily inform you. Sports facilities are available at the council-owned Dimensions Leisure Centre, and at the pitches behind Port Vale F.C., as well as on the pitches in the grounds. Do government standards allow schools to be built on former landfill sites that are venting methane? Which are probably liable to landslip if building takes place on their slopes? Do government standards allow the removal of a community playground and community sports facilities to build a school on an unsuitable site? If you look at an aerial photo of the area, the current Haywood site appears to be bigger than the area of Bank Top on which you could legitimately build. Judge for yourselves. As for commuting to Brownhills or James Brindley - are you serious? The CLC is used by Haywood pupils all the time - both the library and IT facilities. Do you now propose that they walk 200 metres to use a library? Or are you going to waste money by having duplicate facilities within 200 metres of each other? Under your proposals, pupils cannot walk 200m to play sport, but can walk the same distance to learn! Nice one!

"We place an emphasis on developing leadership and management skills of staff and so they can play a full role in further improving educational outcomes in Stoke-on-Trent. These developments are dependent on effective ongoing professional development and the retention of high quality teachers and other staff in Stoke-on-Trent". Have you read Haywood's last OFSTED report. In case you have not, the link is here.

"It is proposed to establish a new school at Bank Top ... This would be a Trust school ..." Can you close a Foundation School and open a Trust School in its place? I assume that this is one for your legal department. One thought though: in this document, the LA and its relevant departments have acknowledged that Haywood is a Foundation School. A Foundation School's governors control admissions to the school, employ the school's staff and own the school's estate. If the governors employ the staff, how can the LA fire them? If the governors own the school's estate, how can you already plan to build houses on it?

"We are keen to hear as many views as possible". Good - but will you act on them? We are not yet persuaded. We want to be convinced.

"Please take this opportunity to have your say and help us shape that future". Please rest assured that you will hear from us in the very near future.



The following document was watermarked with the word 'Confidential' on each page.
The first line states that it is "highly confidential".
We believe in open Government, and that secrecy has no place in local politics..
We think that it is the public interest to publish this so as to enable the community to discover what is happening behind the scenes.

Bringing service to life

This is an informal and highly confidential note to enable full discussion with Headteachers. This note focuses only on the mainstream secondary schools as the special schools are at a different stage in their discussion. The BSF funding will, of course, also be invested to benefit the special schools provision equally.

Introduction
As you know our proposals include the development of twelve schools in Stoke, four of which are likely to be Academies and four are Church Schools, (one is both). We have been given a very clear message that we must be suitably radical in our proposals and were told very clearly that the original proposals for seventeen, sixteen or even fifteen schools would not be acceptable. Whilst there is no absolute target figure for the number of closures it is very clear that Ministers and the Office of the Schools Commission expect the proposal to include a significant number of Academies given the currently level of challenge facing Stoke. They take the view that whilst Foundation/Foundation Trust arrangements are welcome in addition to Academies they would not be accepted instead of Academies. There has been some pressure to go for more than four Academies over a series of meetings; at present Academy arrangements are preferred for St Peters - as is their choice -  and three other schools strategically spread across the city.

One of the most complex areas for consideration is that of how best to handle the school closure issue i.e. how many schools to close. In such an extreme re-organisation there are pros and cons to each possible way forward and we are anxious to have an open and frank discussion around what is best.

Option 1
The minimum number of schools that must close is nine. This includes those community schools where there will no longer be education on or nearby to the same site and those where the replacement school is proposed to be an Academy. With the current proposals for Academies, therefore, this would include Berry Hill, Blurton, Brownhills, Edensor, James Brindley, Longton, Mitchell, St Peter's and Trentham. Because, however, with the exception of St Peter's there are not as yet any fully "signed up" Academy sponsors for other possible academies, some of the other community schools may fall under consideration to become Academies in place of Brownhills or Blurton. A number of other schools fall into the Office of the Schools Commission definition of these for which Academy status should be considered.

Option 2
We therefore have also considered whether the above nine schools should be closed and also Birches Head, Haywood High, Holden Lane, Sandon and Thistley Hough. This means that all the schools that will become Academies or Foundation Trust schools will have been closed and new schools opened on or very close to the existing sites.

Option 3
The next consideration is whether St Thomas More and St Margaret Ward should also be included in the closure proposals. Both schools are proposed to become larger with a more diverse intake but will remain Catholic schools with the Archdiocese as the Foundation.

Option 4
The final consideration is whether to include St Joseph's in the closure proposal. This is a complex issue for two reasons:-

Issues
There are a number of advantages to closing the maximum number of schools:-

There are, however, a number of disadvantages to closing the maximum number of schools:-

Conclusion
This consultation and discussion is genuine. We have produced a document which allows all options to remain on the table but welcome a full and frank debate on the issues.


Serco Education & Children's Services
2 November 2007

Serco claims "This consultation and discussion is genuine". Do we believe them? On the balance of probabilities, taking into account that we are in Stoke-on-Trent, where the past is littered with broken promises, half-truths and outright lies - no. We hope to be proven wrong.

In the field of International Development, there are examples, too numerous to count, of ideas being imposed on local populations. This "top-down" approach has been thoroughly and completely discredited. It does not work. Professionals now spend a great deal of time trying to undo what well-meaning, cash-rich agencies imposed in the 1950s and 1960s. The "bottom-up" approach, meaning that communities have a big say in what is done in their locale, works. This approach needs full and frank consultation with all the community. It also needs the agency to do what the community wants, not what the agency thinks the community wants or needs. Above all, there must be no secrets kept from the community.

Serco has abjectly failed already on this last point. If they, and the Government in Westminster, do not find out what the community wants, and act on this information, their whole project is guaranteed to fail. They will walk away with the money from their contract, and future generations of school children in Stoke will suffer.