Agenda item

The Cabinet report sets out the findings of the meetings that have taken place with schools in the Berwick Partnership since April 2021 to discuss the organisational issues facing the partnership and to identify potential models of organisation that could address those issues. Cabinet is also being asked to permit a first stage of informal consultation with wider stakeholders in the area served by Berwick Partnership schools to establish whether any models of organisation that may be brought forward at a later date for consultation should consist of only 3-tier models of organisation or include 3-tier and 2-tier (primary/secondary) models of education.  Comments made by this Committee will be reported to Cabinet when they consider the report on 12 April 2022.

The report for Cabinet set out the findings of the meetings that had taken place with schools in the Berwick Partnership since April 2021 to discuss the organisation issues facing the partnership and to identify potential models of organisation that could address those issues.  The results of an informal survey with parents and the wider community in the area served by Berwick Partnership were also included the report.

Cabinet were also being asked to permit a first stage informal consultation with wider stakeholders in the area served by Berwick Partnership schools to establish whether any models of organisation that might be brought forward at a later date for consultation should consist of only 3 tier models of organisation or include 3 tier and 2 tier (primary/secondary) models of education. Other key areas such as Special Educational Needs, post 16 and early years provision would also be included as part of the first stage of wider phase of consultation.

C McEvoy-Carr advised that a significant investment was being made in order to provide sustainable education for the future and a significant amount of work had already been undertaken to get to this stage. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to influence the education system in Berwick and the Council wished to understand what the community wanted and what would be in the best interests of children in the area.  S Aviston provided a comprehensive introduction to the report with the aid of a power point presentation.  Councillor Renner-Thompson, Cabinet Member and Councillor for Bamburgh which was within the Berwick Partnership advised that the process had first commenced in 2019 looking at Berwick High School and had now expanded to include the whole Berwick Partnership.   He highlighted that 28% of pupils travelled to schools outside the Partnership and this trend needed to be reversed and encouraged everyone to take part in the consultation if Cabinet approved this report.

Officers advised that the community needed to understand the challenges that were facing the Partnership and that it was not about individual schools.  The consultation would provide an opportunity to address these challenges and confirmed that face to face events would be held in Berwick and that staff, Unions and Councillors would all be part of the process.  Clarity was sought on the impact of moving schools from the Berwick Partnership to Alnwick.  The Committee were informed there was evidence to suggest parents were choosing to move their children to the Alnwick Partnership and this was an opportunity to establish more formally the level of parental choice being expressed.

Members welcomed the ongoing dialogue and the proposed next steps, along with the open way in which the consultation would be undertaken.  The Committee understood this was a complex issue and appreciated the work that had gone in to getting to this stage.  They also requested that consideration be given to the difference in career progression and retention of teaching staff in two tier and three schools as part of the discussions.

RESOLVED that Cabinet be advised that this Committee supported the recommendations in the report.