Full proposal

Part 1 – Proposal to Discontinue Wellfield Junior School

Notice is given, in accordance with section 15(1) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006, that Trafford Council, Trafford Town Hall, Talbot Road Stretford, M32 0TH, intends to discontinue Wellfield Junior, a community school, Dumber Lane, Sale, M33 5QX. The proposal to close Wellfield Junior School is related to a proposal to extend the age range of Wellfield Infant School to offer provision for pupils aged 3 years to 11 years.

The published admission number (PAN) for the Junior School is 60 covering the age range 7 to 11. The maximum number of children on roll at the School is 240. The net capacity of the School is 240.

The proposal to discontinue Wellfield Junior School is linked to the proposal to extend the age range of Wellfield Infant School. The combined effect of these linked proposals is, in effect, the “amalgamation” of the two schools to form, on current adjacent sites, a 420 place community primary school (plus 104 part time nursery places) for pupils aged 3 to 11.

At the time of the publication of the proposal the number of children on roll is 251.  It is proposed that all children on roll at Wellfield Junior School will be automatically admitted to the extended Wellfield Infant School (Wellfield Primary School). There is therefore no requirement for special transitional and transport arrangements. Other pupils wishing to gain admission to the proposed new primary school will be subject to the Local Authority’s usual Admission and Home to School Transport policies.

Early Years provision and extended services offered at the Infant school will continue, unchanged, at the amalgamated school.

The LA does not consider that there will be any adverse impact on the community.

Part 2 - Wellfield Infant School

Notice is given, in accordance with section 19(1) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006, that Trafford Council intends to make a prescribed alteration to Wellfield Infant School, a community school, Church Lane, Sale, M33 5QW.  

School capacity

The published admission number (PAN) for the School is also 60 covering the age range 3 to 7. The maximum number of children on roll at the school is 180. The net capacity of the school is 203. At the time of the publication of the proposal the number of children on roll is 182 (not including the nursery children).

It is proposed that the age range will be altered to age 3 to 11.

This proposal is linked to the proposal to discontinue Wellfield Junior School. The combined effect of these linked proposals is in effect the “amalgamation” of the two schools to form, on the same shared site, a 420 place community primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11. The maximum number of children on roll at the primary school will therefore be 420. The net capacity of the amalgamated schools will be 420. There are no proposed physical alterations.

Additional Site

The proposal is to accommodate all children on the current site. No new or additional site will be required.

Objectives

The proposal to discontinue Wellfield Junior School and to extend Wellfield Infant School will enable better continuity and progression of children’s work, particularly between Key Stage 1 (5 to 7) and Key Stage 2 (7 to 11,) and so create additional opportunities for improved educational standards and achievement. Pupils will not be required to transfer between the schools at Year 3, supporting curriculum continuity and in turn creating the opportunity for improved educational achievement.

As the school will provide education at Foundation, Key Stage One and Key Stage Two, it will be able to offer expertise to cover the whole curriculum.

The amalgamation will provide opportunities to increase the range of expertise and experience of teaching staff and provide opportunities for improvements in the deployment and development of teachers. It will offer increased opportunities for staff to develop their professional interests and skills. This will assist in the recruitment and retention of staff by providing greater professional opportunities.

It will enable the schools to develop a single vision for the future. The amalgamation will provide opportunities for development of the curriculum and in particular enhance the delivery. The two schools provide a good education for their pupils at present and are well supported by parents and governors.

The amalgamation will reduce management and running costs due to economies of scale. It will provide opportunity for better use of educational resources including teaching and non-teaching staff

Consultation

The details of the consultation, including a list of persons consulted and the comments and responses provided were included in the report to the Executive Member and was supported by accompanying documents. All applicable statutory requirements in relation to the proposals to consult were complied with.

Project Costs

Sufficient accommodation is available and no capital costs are anticipated for this.

Objections and comments 

Within four weeks from the date of publication of these proposals (2 September 2021), any person may object to or make comments on the proposal by email to school.admissions@trafford.gov.uk

Or by post to:

Wellfield Amalgamation Proposal, School Admissions, Waterside House, Sale, M33 7ZF