Thank you for your recent e-petition addressed to thePrime Minister about the proposed closure of Aycliffe Village Primary School.
We understand that Durham Local Education Authority (LEA) has not, as yet, made any decision in relation to the closure of Aycliffe Village Primary School. The LEA is seeking the views of local headteachers on the future of education provision in Durham whilst allowing for the removal of surplus places.
It may be helpful to know that all decisions relating to school organisation matters are taken locally so that the views and opinions of the people affected can be taken into account. As a result, neither the Prime Minister, Government Ministers or Departmental Officials have any direct involvement in these decisions.
We have, however, laid down statutory procedures under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, which must be followed whenever a change in school provision is proposed. Should Durham LEA wish to make school organisation changes in the future, it must follow the procedures laid down under the Act, and it may be helpful ifthis isexplained in more detail.
If an LEA proposes to close, amalgamate or open a school, it must first undertake consultation locally, affording people the opportunity to put forward their views. Any views received during this consultation period should then be considered by the Authority in order to determine whether or not to proceed with the proposals.
Following these consultations, should the LEA decide to proceed and recommend that the closure takes place, it will need to publish statutory proposals. Any statutory proposals must be published as an official notice, both in the local press and in a prominent position at the schools affected.
A statutory representation period of six weeks [or a month in the case of a school subject to Special Measures] then follows during which anyone who wishes to do so, can object or support the proposals by writing to the relevant contact detailed on the statutory notice. This would be the appropriate time to raise all the points made in your letter. If no objections are received within this period, the LEA can then make a decision on whether or not to proceed with the proposals. If, however, objections are received, the proposals, representations and the LEA’s comments are referred to the local School Organisation Committee (SOC) for decision.
The SOC is made up of representatives from the following five groups representing the interests of all those with local involvement in education: serving school governors; elected Council Members representing the Local Authority; Church of England and Roman Catholic Diocesan representatives and the local Learning and Skills Council. The LEA has the discretion to appoint a further group of people representing, for example, minority communities and District Councils. The SOC will consider all the evidence where objections have been received to statutory proposals before reaching a decision. The SOC’s decision must be unanimous; if not, the proposals are referred to an independent Schools Adjudicator for a final decision.
We believe that the structures in place for local decision making allow for the concerns, objections and interests of local stakeholders to be fully considered before any final decision is taken. More detailed guidance is available on the Department for Education and Skills website:
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