Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed has put forward a model for a "mixed economy" of schools structures, in response to Northumberland County Council's proposed model of a two-tier system for the Alnwick Partnership.
Yesterday, Northumberland County Council’s cabinet voted to push ahead with further consultation on its preferred model for primary and secondary schools in the Alnwick Partnership, which would lead to the controversial closure of four middle schools and two first schools, the administration have said that they would consider any alternatives put forward.
An alternative discussed at the three meetings at County Hall yesterday, and backed by Anne-Marie Trevelyan, is for a mixed economy, allowing Alnwick to convert to a primary and secondary set up while the rural areas such as Seahouses can keep their three tier sturcture. Anne-Marie Trevelyan had written to Northumberland County Council, prior to the meetings, setting out her vision for the future of education in the area along these lines.The town of Alnwick would convert to a two-tier system which Anne-Marie Trevelyan supports, provided the secondary school is on a single site.
Where her suggestion differs is that there then would be new mini partnerships in Seahouses and Wooler. Seashouses Middle School would continue to be fed by its three current first schools, including Embleton, which could therefore stay open. The same would happen at Glendale Middle school in Wooler (which is actually party of the Berwick Partnership, although many pupils from Whittingham and Branton first schools, in the Anwick partnership, go there).This would mean that Seahouses Middle school pupils would feed into Alnwick's new secondary school at 13 instead of 11. The final strand that Anne-Marie Trevelyan suggested was 'support for the continued existence for now' of the first schools at Branton and Whittingham under one governing body.
LETTER FROM ANNE-MARIE TREVELYAN
Cllr Bernard Pidcock, Northumberland County Council
Chairman, Family & Childrens Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Dear Bernard,
REPORT TO SCRUNITY ON ALNWICK PARTNERSHIP REVIEW
I have received a copy of the report coming to your committee this Thursday for scrutiny and an early decision on how to proceed, and before you do so I would be grateful if you would consider my views set out below, based in the extensive knowledge and information I have received from many parents and teachers across the partnership.
Please do bear in mind that whilst the proposals for first schools to go primary was brought to Andy Johnson last year, forcing him to start this consultation process, most of those headteachers did not share their thoughts widely with their parental bodies before doing so, which has led to some confusion and anxiety in the community about the nature of this consultation, and whether it is actually a County Council plot to drive two tier into the academic framework of North Northumberland. I have done my best to allay these fears, but I hope that your Scrutiny Committee will go further by considering the proposals I make to progress the educational futures of all our children across urban and rural areas.
I will set out my vision by area:
Alnwick Town
It is clear to me that there is fundamental support for the Alnwick First Schools and those first schools which feed into the present Alnwick Middle Schools to go primary. Whilst there has been strong affection towards the Middle Schools in Alnwick historically, I believe that the present framework and problems has led to a change of heart and willingness by parents to support a two tier framework.
Assuming that County Hall is willing to find enough funds to build on the new Duchess High School buildings presently going up, to ensure that years 7 & 8 can be well accommodated onto the same site, I see every reason to support this for the educational development of our children. The investment made into the first schools to fulfil their obligations as primary schools would in fact keep those children in their communities until the age of 11 rather than 9 as now, when they have to get on a bus to Alnwick.
The Church Schools which also feed into the present middle schools in Alnwick seem comfortable with the prospect of growing into primary schools, and I hope that if investment is needed there will be good co-operation between the Church and NCC to facilitate the relevant improvements.
Seahouses “mini” Partnership
There are presently three first schools which feed into Seahouses Middle School, a great asset to the community with a large site, excellent facilities and good outdoor spaces. The proposal before Scrutiny indicates that the maintained first schools should become primaries, meaning that Embleton Church of England School should close, as should the middle school. This has caused uproar and dismay in the community for a number of reasons, and I would propose that since this whole consultation as not based on money, but on educational improvements, you consider offering the following instead:
For this mini-partnership, you propose to leave the three tier system in place for now, if the schools are all willing to federate formally and work under one board of Governors. In this way the educational attainment of the children up to 13 can be closely managed and any failings or lower results than others at years 7 or 8 can be managed most effectively under a single governance structure.
This would mean that the children from the Seahouses Mini-Partnership would be moving to Alnwick High School at the age of 13, rather than 11 like those from town. This split entry happens in other schools across the country very successfully, so I would hope that the governors at Duchess High School would support such a framework. It would also mean that if there were parents who started to see the merits of two tier schooling they would have the option to move their children at 11 years old, thereby empowering the families themselves to determine the right transition age for their child. In this way, Northumberland County Council can genuinely meet its publicly stated intention to listen to those communities and support their educational requirements.
Wooler “mini” Partnership
In similar fashion to the Seahouses model I proposed above, the Wooler schools are made up of three first schools feeding into Wooler Middle School, a much loved and valued resource by many. For those children living in Wooler itself, the first school would continue to provide early years teaching, and it might be that (following preliminary discussions over some years) the first and middle schools might choose to locate on the same site eventually.
For the outlying village schools of Whittingham and Branton, their continued existence should be supported for now, allowing local parents under one Governing Body for all these schools to work together to maintain the right framework for these children, some of whom live in truly isolated locations up the valley. Imposing closure on Branton just as its numbers are growing does seem to go directly against the stated intention of the Council to follow community views.
Thank you for considering this proposal as an alternative, and well supported, option for parents outwith the Alnwick Town partnership schools grouping. I look forward to hearing how your discussions progress in due course.
Yours sincerely,
Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP