1

Committed to Consultation

“The review of the High Down schools is not a done deal and we are looking seriously at a range of other options to see if they are viable”

Graham Turner, Chief Executive Officer

2

Welcome to the

High Down Infant School

and

High Down Junior School

Additional Information

Consultation Event

24 September 2012

3

Overview of this event

• Introductions

• A presentation – additional information

• Chances for questions and suggestions at the end of each stage of the presentation

• Summing up and final comments

• Not a repeat of the consultation events in July 2012 - opportunity for those who require more information to speak to officers afterwards

• Close – 8pm

4

Portishead Parent Action Groups

• Village Quarter Parent Group

• High Down Action Group

• Both acknowledge need for spaces, but feel that High Down not the best site for expansion

• Facebook groups set up and petition online

• http://tinyurl.com/HDpetition , facebook.com/groups/highdownactiongroup

• Facebook.com/groups/villagequarterparentgroup

• Working together to evidence that High Down inappropriate and that alternatives should be considered alongside High Down, as per concerns coming out of initial consultations

• Discussions with Council Officers

5

What next ?

• This consultation has been extended and will now end on Friday 12 October 2012

• Your views are needed to help the Council decide the way forward for the whole Portishead community

• Your comments today will be recorded and will feed into the consultation

• You are also encouraged to respond to the consultation either on-line or using the booklet

6

Your Key Messages

• A request for the opportunity to consult on other options for the provision of primary school spaces within Portishead

• You wanted background information about why the decision was made to consult on the High Down proposals

• A request for further information around existing and future traffic, congestion and parking issues at the High Down sites

7

Your Key Messages

• Further information on the plans for any building and site changes at the High Down schools to accommodate the additional children

• You had queries around children’s education during the process of the proposed change at the High Down schools

8

Actions and options

• Short term options – 4 progressed to date

• Medium term options – subject of this consultation

• Long term options (after 2014) – being reviewed but have commercial sensitivities that we can’t currently disclose or discuss

9

Short-term actionsDate Extra places School

September 2010

30 Trinity Anglican Methodist Primary School

September 2011

30 Portishead Primary

September 2011

30 St Peter’s C of E Primary

September 2012 and 2015

30 High Down Infants – High Down Juniors

10

Medium Term Options• Must be delivered from September

2013 onwards, but by September 2014 at the latest. These include:

• Options for creating extra school places on all existing school sites

• Options for creating a new school on other Council owned land or sites within the town of Portishead

• Options for purchasing or leasing industrial sites to remodel into a new school

11

‘RAG’ Ratings(red, amber, green)

• We have given all schemes a provisional ‘RAG’ rating

• With your help we may be able to alter these ratings to overcome any risks or obstacles and bring about a deliverable scheme

12

High Down Site

13

Reasons why the High Down option was chosenReasons

• At time of requesting permission considered a higher planning acceptance risk than other site proposals

• Council’s preference for all-through primary provision

• Had hoped to progress a land purchase

Revised risks

• Significant opposition across the town

• Traffic implications of the proposals, not only outside the High Down sites but also across the town

• Educational/admission concerns

• Extra land purchase now not possible

• Fewer alternative options for parking

14

Existing and future traffic, congestion and parking

issues• Many stakeholders expressed concerns about

likely increase in traffic

• Full independent Transport Assessment undertaken

• Acknowledged detrimental to the carbon footprint but may be better than offering places outside of Portishead

Positive Actions Planned:

• Around the High Down Schools, existing crossing on the main road to be raised

• Tree canopies along Down Road to be reduced to improve visibility

15

Traffic Assessment Conclusions

• Draft traffic and transport assessment received, including traffic surveys

• Survey could not include Year R and Nursery pupils but has taken this into account

• Assessment confirms that the distance from the Village Quarter to the High Down Campus could present challenges to walking and cycling to school

• A worst case scenario shows an increase of between 150-180 vehicles for a 20 minute period if no mitigating measures were put into place

• If proposals were progressed, further assessment work would need to be undertaken and mitigation options investigated to address traffic issues

16

Educational Impact

• The disadvantage to the oldest children and other children at the schools – schools would be encouraged to look for all opportunities for the interaction across all age ranges within the campus

• Building works – huge curriculum based opportunities for children with building works on their school site

• Competition across the two schools - number of different formal and informal ways in which the schools may choose to work together

17

Educational Impact

• Admission arrangements to the two High Down Schools - further thought to these proposals is needed

• School standards and the perception that, according to Ofsted reports, one school may be better than the other – Ofsted Inspectors found good and outstanding features in both schools. Children leave both schools with standards above national averages

18

Overall Rating – Was Amber

• Can be delivered by 2013-2014 school year

• Could be achievable, but only with public support

Revised Rating – Red/Amber

• High level of opposition

• Highways issues

Analysis of Option

19

Questions and Suggestions

20

Portishead Primary School

21

Analysis of Option

Overall Rating – Red

• Smallest 420 place school site in the district

• Cannot be delivered by 2013-2014 school year

• Third storey not realistically deliverable

• Local neighbourhood opposition

22

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary

23

Analysis of Option

Overall Rating – Red

• Insufficient play space

• Risk of not being able to obtain extra land for play

• Cannot be delivered by 2013-2014 school year

• Could only be supported by the Governing Body and the Diocese of Clifton if there were insufficient places for Catholic families across the town

24

Trinity Anglican Methodist Primary

25

Analysis of OptionOverall Rating –Red

• Certainty that any planning application would be referred to the Secretary of State

• Cannot be delivered by 2013-2014 school year

• Governors requirement for a period of stability after recent rapid expansion

• Could only be progressed if supported by the Governing Body, the Diocese of Bath & Wells and the Methodist Church

26

St Peter’s C of E Primary

27

Analysis of Option

Overall Rating –Amber

• Would need majority public support

• Subject to a new period of public consultation and planning permissions

• Significant planning, transportation and construction challenges

• Full scheme may not be delivered until 2014-2015 school year

• Interim solution could be in place for September 2013

• Could only be progressed if supported by the Governing Body and the Diocese of Bath & Wells

28

Gordano School

29

Analysis of Option

Overall Rating – Red

• Space required for secondary places

• Cannot be delivered by 2013-2014 school year

• As an Academy, any proposals would need to be supported and progressed by the Governing Body

30

Questions and Suggestions

31

Medium to Long-Term Options

32

33

New School within the town• All Council landholdings in

Portishead have been reviewed

• Besides existing school sites, only 3 areas of land are large enough and none of these are considered to be suitable

33

3434

New School Within the town

• Privately-owned commercial premises have also been appraised as a medium-term option but are not considered viable in terms of their suitability, cost and probable timescale of delivery

3535

New school outside settlement boundary

Long-term option only – major constraints/issues to be addressed including:

• Identification of suitable land – commercial sensitivity

• Planning policy / Highways and Transportation requirements

• Land acquisition - Compulsory Purchase Order probably required

• Construction period and requirement to seek Expressions of Interest for establishing a new school (Academy or Free School)

• Funding – there is currently no budget to purchase land and build a new school

• Realistically, the earliest date a school could be opened is 2016

3636

Overall Conclusions

• No easy answer

• Further work needed to reduce risks / prepare deliverable medium and long-term plans

• Responses to this consultation needed to assist the Decision Makers decide the next steps

37

Thank you for your time