Decision details

RESOLVED

KEY DECISION

That the Executive approved the amalgamation of Tennyson Road Infant School and Alfred Street Junior School in Rushden.

Reasons for Recommendation:

i)            To support children and young people and their families to access high quality sustainable education that facilitates the achievement of best outcomes

ii)           To progress the amalgamation of the schools in accordance with legislative requirements and Department for Education statutory guidance.

iii)         Based upon the financial position and school performance it is not a viable solution to take no action to progress the statutory process for the amalgamation

Alternative Options Considered: Having been approached by the governing body of both schools with the proposal to merge, the Council considered the benefits of this option against the maintenance of the two separate schools.  The conclusion reached was that the merger provided a much greater opportunity to drive the improvement in outcomes for children at pace, and to deliver efficiency savings that would contribute to the financial stability of the new school.  Further details of these considerations are set out in this report.