Executive - Monday 22 April 2024, 7:30pm - Wandsworth Council Webcasting

Executive
Monday, 22nd April 2024 at 7:30pm 

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good evening and welcome to this meeting of the Executive.
are there any apologies this evening,
Councillor Ireland, that's understood and any declarations of interest.
Councillor stock.
thank you Chair, it's not a pecuniary interest, but in the interests of transparency in relation to the one item that's on the agenda this evening I wanted to declare an interest that I am a governor of a school in the nearby area to Christchurch which actually in the people planning area I am a governor at Falcon Brook Primary School.
That's understood thanks very much, so we'll move on to those matters for decision and this evening, yeah, we just have the item from children's committee Councillor Stop, thank you Chair, there was a special meeting of children's committee at last Thursday where we were welcomed.
by governors from Christchurch, Primary School and also representatives from the Diocese, they explained that their school has been struggling for some time in relation to falling rolls.
the Executive will be aware that is a challenge that we're facing across the borough, just like many other London boroughs, driven by the pandemic, by breast spread by Brexit, by the cost of living crisis and more and more families are moving out of London.
The governors explained that over a period of about three years, they have been trying to deal with this problem, but unfortunately they haven't really been able to increase pupil places to the extent that their pupils now are the school now has a 55% surplus places which is well above the standard in the borough and as a consequence of which,
since November last year, the governors have been consulting with the school community and the wider community about our proposed closure of the school or Committee last week, heard about the consultation process and the rationale for the decision, and made further inquiries of the governors as to the rationale for the decision as I've said and how.
The school engaged with the local community around this decision.
I Committee understood that there didn't look like there were any prospect of increasing pupil numbers, and in a situation where schools are funded on a peer pupil basis, it was clear that the governance rationale was sound in terms of how the school was going to be funded into the future.
Say
committee unanimously supported the recommendation of the governors to close the school at the end of the academic year, there was then some further conversations amongst councillors in in relation to next steps, there's been an assurance that all pupils' will.
have a school in a local community were very satisfied that there are more than enough school places both for pupils'?
including those with special educational needs, and Committee, also heard that as a Council we have also committed to supporting people's with new school uniforms as they recoup are required to move school as a consequence of their closure.
thank you very much, Councillor Stock, I know not an easy issue to deal with, but thank you for that thorough summary, are there any comments or questions for Councillor stock?
in which case the decision approved.
Thank you very much.
As we said, that's the only item for this evening, so thanks all very much for your time.