Aims and purpose

 

Councillor John Smithson and Councillor Ken Smith lead members for Children and Young People Service

“There is a serious and urgent need to significantly improve and enhance the overall educational opportunities and achievements of all children and students in North Kirklees. We give full credit to the management and governance of our existing secondary schools. Some impressive advances have been achieved in recent years but despite efforts, standards are not improving fast enough.”

“The current pattern of school provision and resourcing is not adequate for purpose and the much needed improvement in standards cannot be made without radical change.”

“We are committed to ensuring that all future secondary schools will:

• offer high quality education to all
• provide a full broad curriculum
• be financially viable and therefore have future security
• have high quality facilities
• be welcoming and comfortable for all students and community users
• strengthen community cohesion
• enhance carbon efficiency as much as possible

Too many of our secondary schools currently struggle to achieve financial stability, and this can seriously restrict the range of curriculum provision and student support. We need to have secondary schools that are financially viable, offer a full and broad curriculum and feel welcoming and comfortable to all students."

“When forming our proposals, our first consideration was the optimum size of future secondary schools. We took into account our objectives, educational advice and experience, together with the overall resources available, and concluded that an average size of 1350 school places from a minimum of 1200 to a maximum of 1500 is the right approach. This equates to eight secondary schools plus Heckmondwike Grammar School and St John Fisher Catholic High School.”

“We next considered the Planned Admission Areas (PAA's) for secondary schools, taking into account, as far as possible, local geography and parental preferences.”

“We also looked at the finance available and believe that it would not be possible, or necessary,to create completely new schools on alternative sites. There were in any case very few new sites potentially available. This means that we are proposing that any new secondary school buildings would be located on existing school sites.”

“As well as secondary schools, a key improvement is required in post 16 education and provision. Far too many students in North Kirklees have to travel daily out of the area and, even worse, far too many opt out of further and higher education altogether. We believe that the way to address this situation is through a sixth form college based in Dewsbury, in partnership with the existing post 16 provision in colleges and schools in North and South Kirklees.”

“We appreciate that there will be considerable changes to the existing pattern of provision,whatever the final outcome. We are therefore preparing detailed plans to plot the path for staff and students so that we can all properly and effectively cope with the proposed changes. Maintaining stability and creating an improvement in the current standards of our children’s education will remain the backbone of everything we do."

“We promise to conduct this consultation openly and effectively to maximise the value Kirklees can gain from Building Schools for the Future. This really is our chance to turn proposals into action and create real, tangible benefits for our children and young people.”