GILLAS LANE PRIMARY

SCHOOL CLOSURE
Parents / Carers
Objections to the Proposal

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
 Gillas Lane Parents
• We know that the status quo is not
viable
• We know the situation has to change
• We are prepared to work with the
council
• But…..

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
• Would you want your child to go to a school
with lower standards, larger classes,
cramped classrooms, (maybe even
portacabins), unfamiliar teachers, which is
less convenient and practical and not your
first choice?
• Would you want this for your child?

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
 Parental Choice
• Where is our parental choice with
Option 1?
• Ed Balls / Government – expand
parental choice
• Sunderland City Council – reducing it

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
 The School
• Gillas Lane a good, small, family-oriented
school
• Good standard of Education
• Good Ofsted report
• Good at dealing with Special Needs
• Supported by the community
• Dedicated teachers
• Pupils like it, parents like it
• Surplus places can be managed without
closure

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
• So why is there a need to close a
successful, well-regarded school with
a good reputation in the local
community?

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
 Objections to Option 1
• Least acceptable option for pupils, parents and
community
• Major Transition problems
• Only council see this as acceptable
• No guarantee of improved education level
• Where are the educational benefits for Gillas
Lane pupils?
• Newer buildings = Better Education?
• Worst possible option for pupils

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
 Support for Option 3
• Viable Option – it solves surplus places problem.
• Parents want it
• Pupils want it
• Both schools want it
• The Gillas Lane community wants it
• Why does the council not want to work with the
local community?

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
 Why not Option 2?
• Better than option 1 for pupils
– New start, new school identity
– Fairer for pupils
– Easier transition for Gillas Lane pupils
– Lesser of two evils?
– Fairer to teachers
– Why was Option 2 discarded with no
explanation?

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
 Complaints
• Parents extremely frustrated with
the school place planning process
• Complained using the proper channels
• Denied by Sunderland City Council
• Current Local Government
Ombudsman investigation of 5
complaints

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
 Complaints (cont.)
• Consultation process
– Design flawed
• Only one method
• No flexibility on timing of meetings
• No focus groups
• No plan to involve children sensitively
• No plan for the Difficult / Hard to reach
• Response forms – Not designed for acknowledgement

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
 Complaints (cont.)
– Consultation Process (cont.)
– Not following Council policies and
strategies:
• Community Consultation
• Social Cohesion
• Corporate Equality Scheme
• Community Empowerment Action Plan
• Every Child Matters

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
 Complaints (cont.)
• Option Appraisals
– Errors / Mistakes – Nursery and Changeover timing!!
– Assessment criteria lacked “education” factors
– Too much concentration on “building” factors
– No detailed financial assessments of options
– House Building / Demographics – uncertain future
– Cursory exploration of suggested alternatives
– Why have educational standards not been taken into
account?
– Why were there no detailed financial assessments to
compare options?

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
 Complaints (cont.)
• Decision making
– Opaque!
– Inconsistent – Seaburn Dene and Grange Park?!
– Unfair
– Why have parents’ wishes not been acted upon?
– Why is Gillas Lane not treated like Grange Park
at the very least?

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
 Complaints (cont.)
• Consultation Meetings
– No proper and thorough research and preparation done
by officers
– No clue about nursery provision!
• New nursery › Existing Provision › Houghton Nursery
– No clue about the proposed year of implementation issue
– Not prepared for questions
– Inappropriate comments
– Lack of sensitivity to parents
– Parents’ view - What was the point?

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
 Complaints (cont.)
• Statutory Guidance – non compliance
– Issues that must be taken into account:
• Educational standards
• Parents’ wishes
• Social factors / Impact on the community
Not done so far by Sunderland City Council!
• Why is Sunderland City Council not complying
with statutory guidance?

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
Excerpts from Statutory
Guidance
• 4.19 The Government wishes to
encourage changes to local school
provision which will boost standards
and opportunities for young people,
while matching school place supply as
closely as possible to pupils’ and
parents’ needs and wishes.

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
Excerpts from Statutory
Guidance
• Surplus Places
• 4.34 It is important that education is provided as cost-
effectively as possible. Empty places can represent a poor
use of resources - resources that can often be used more
effectively to support schools in raising standards. The
Secretary of State wishes to encourage LAs to organise
provision in order to ensure that places are located
where parents want them. LAs should take action to
remove empty places at schools that are unpopular with
parents and which do little to raise standards or improve
choice. The removal of surplus places should always
support the core agenda of raising standards and respect
parents' wishes by seeking to match school places with
parental choices.

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
Excerpts from Statutory
Guidance
• 4.35 …..The Decision Maker should consider all
other proposals to close schools in order to
remove surplus places carefully. Where the
rationale for the closure of a school is based on
the removal of surplus places, standards at the
school(s) in question should be taken into account,
as well as geographical and social factors, such as
population sparsity in rural areas, and the effect
on any community use of the premises

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
 What we would like to
see happen!
• As a minimum, Gillas Lane should be
treated like Grange Park
• Reduce the PAN and remodel school
• Engage the parents and carers in
future planning
• Monitor over the next 3-5 years
• Review in 3 years time minimum

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
 Next Steps
• This is not a substitute for an oral representation
at the SOC meeting – we still request one.
• We hope that you read the Decision Makers’
Guidance on school closures thoroughly before
making a final decision
• We will be discussing the issues with our legal
advisors this week
• Suggestion - Why not delay the decision until the
Local Government Ombudsman has reported back
on the 5 complaints?

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
 Questions
• What are the educational benefits
for Gillas Lane pupils?
• Why does the council not want to
work with the local community?
• Why was Option 2 discarded with no
explanation?

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
 Questions (cont.)
• Why have educational standards not
been taken into account?
• Why were there no detailed financial
assessments to compare options?
• Why have parents’ wishes not been
acted upon?

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009
 Questions (cont.)
• Why is Gillas Lane not treated like
Grange Park at the very least?
• Why is Sunderland City Council not
complying with statutory guidance?
• Why should Gillas Lane pay for the
problems of others? Is this fair?

Gillas Lane Parents / Members

Meeting 15.6.2009