Agenda item

Having considered an officer report and an addendum summarising further

representations from parents, and presentations by the Cabinet Member for

Children & Young People, Councillor Paul Maslin and the Chair of Governors

at Sir Francis Drake Primary School, the Mayor agreed that:

(i) the responses received during the representation period on proposals to

enlarge Sir Francis Drake Primary School be received; and

(ii) the proposal to enlarge Sir Francis Drake Primary School from 1 to 2 forms

of entry with effect from September 2016, subject to the development of

satisfactory building proposals in partnership with the Education Funding

Agency be approved.

The report was introduced by Councillor Paul Maslin, the Cabinet Member for

Children & Young People who acknowledged concerns were still held by

parents and he referred to tabled addendum documents reflecting late

received petitions opposing the proposed demolition.

The Executive Director for Children & Young People’s representative referred

to the written response to the concerns that had been expressed and he

outlined the engagement that had taken place with the Education Funding

Agency to modify the proposals.

The Mayor was addressed by Mr Fraser Jopp, the Chair of Governors at Sir

Francis Drake Primary School. He reported that the expansion remained a

highly sensitive issue for current parents and children and did not think that

resistance would end while they believed that alternatives such as building an

entirely new school elsewhere in the north of the borough remained. He

stated the views of the Governors were broadly as before and as set out in

writing. He stated the Governors desire to properly interrogate the design

proposals. He said he believed Sir Francis Drake was popular because it was

a small 1FE school and that it was crucial that the transition to a larger school

was properly managed to ensure a high quality teaching and learning

experience could be maintained.

The Executive Director for Children & Young People’s representative

responded by indicating the design proposals could be worked up over the

summer and approvals would be sought from the Education Funding Agency

in the autumn. He further pointed out an entirely new school had been ruled

out because a suitable site could not be identified and that this problem was

one of the principal reasons why the well-publicised Free Schools initiative

had such limited appeal in the borough. He also acknowledged the suggestion

of a permanent dedicated space in Deptford Park had not been developed

even though the school was proximate to the park.

In response, the Mayor recognized that individual parents would express

legitimate concerns about their local school but that he held a wider

responsibility tp parents generally and he was charged with tackling the

problem of finding places for a sharply rising number of children entering the

education system. He noted the lack of enthusiastic support for change but

concluded he had no real choice other than to go ahead. He affirmed his

commitment to support the school and said he expected officers to keep

elected members informed on developments. He asked the Chair of

Governors to report any support failings directly to him.

Having considered an officer report and an addendum summarising further

Representations from parents, and presentations by the Cabinet Member for

Children & Young People, Councillor Paul Maslin, and the Chair of Governors

at Sir Francis Drake Primary School, the Mayor for the reasons set out in the

report:

RESOLVED that:

(i) the responses received during the representation period on proposals to

enlarge Sir Francis Drake Primary School be received; and

(ii) the proposal to enlarge Sir Francis Drake Primary School from 1 to 2 forms

of entry with effect from September 2016, subject to the development of

satisfactory building proposals in partnership with the Education Funding

Agency be approved.