Chris White, Lib Dem county councillor for central St Albans, has welcomed the government decision to fund the new Alban City School on Hatfield Road.

He said: ‘I have been campaigning for a new primary school in central St Albans for over five years and am delighted that at last we are seeing action. Parents can be assured that in 2012 there will be more school places in a central location – and so they won’t have to drive their children past oversubscribed primary schools in order to get their children educated.

‘There are still some practical issues to resolve but to all intents and purposes we have reached the destination so many of us have sought for so long.’

Chris added: ‘I don’t think the free school process is the most sensible way to provide new schools – after all the DfE knows nothing about St Albans and these decisions should be left to local councils. Nevertheless, a school is a school and this is brilliant news for the city centre.’

He also congratulated the county and district councils for their support for this project: ‘There were a handful of naysayers but common sense has prevailed.’

County council press release

Schools may only have just started back after the summer break – but many Hertfordshire carers and parents are already planning ahead for school places in 2012.

If your child starts primary, or moves on to junior, middle, secondary or upper school next year you need to apply for a school place in good time.

The process for moving onto secondary or upper school opens on Monday 5 September. Leaflets explaining the process will be distributed to families through their child’s primary schools at the beginning of September. The closing date for applications to secondary and upper schools is 31 October 2011 and it is vital that parents make their applications on time.

A quick and easy way of obtaining all the information you need about the secondary and upper school transfer process is available in an interactive version of the ‘Moving On’ booklet at www.hertsdirect.org/admissions

Before making an application, parents and carers are strongly advised to visit schools and attend the secondary information evenings to help them make their preferences. Leaflets outlining all the secondary open evenings were distributed in July. The admissions pages on www.hertsdirect.org/admissions contain all the information parents need to apply for a school place and advice on where to find extra help.

The easiest way to apply for all categories of school places is online by logging onto www.hertsdirect.org/admissions and completing the online application form. If you apply online you can amend your application at any time up to the closing date. Online applicants can access their school offer before allocation letters are received and parents are also able to accept the school allocation online. Last year 97 per cent of parents applied this way and found the system quick, easy and secure. Parents that do not wish to apply online can request a paper application form that must be returned direct to the admission and transport team. Application forms cannot be returned to primary schools.

The Under 11s application process (for applications to primary, junior and middle schools) opens on 14 November 2011 and the closing date is 15 January 2012. Relevant parents will receive a leaflet in mid-November. An interactive version of the full Under 11s booklet will be available online or from the Customer Service Centre.

Parents with younger children will be able to apply for nursery schools and classes in mid February 2012 when nursery literature will be sent directly to parents.

Liberal Democrats at County Hall have condemned the failure of the county council to provide a proper support service for parents and children affected by strikes this week.

Lib Dem Leader Chris White said: ‘As happened two years earlier with snow closures the Tories have failed to realise how seriously parents and children will be impacted by random closures. There seem to be no plans to put school closures on the county’s website. Parents with work responsibilities will thus have little idea when they drop their children at school whether the school is open and whether they might need to leave work in order to pick them up. This is unacceptable to them and unacceptable to their employers.

‘County must set up a proper webpage immediately and check it is fully up to date.’

Chris also criticised Education Secretary Michael Gove: ‘Instead of writing silly letters to heads about employing parents as strike breakers, he should have re-entered the real world and understood what actions really were required by schools and local authorities.’

Figures show that so far around fifty schools will be affected (see attached) but that list could easily change (and anyway appears incomplete from our sources).

Chris added: ‘Yet again, Labour’s legacy has come home to rosst: their failure to deal with public spending and tackle “too difficult” issues like public sector pay and pensions has left a legacy of chaos.’

ENDS

Contacts: Chris White 07850 843623

A consultation on the future school transport network, covering 800 routes, Education (E) routes and small vehicle provision

The second consultation on school transport will commence on Monday 13th June and run to 15th August 2011. The consultation document, published list of routes and online response form is available here.

Extracts from a note from county council staff

The County Council’s Cabinet agreed to the purchase of the current University of Hertfordshire building on Hatfield Road in order to accommodate a new school in St Albans city centre. You may also be aware that the government has made clear that they expect all new schools to be Free schools or academies.

We are working closely with and supporting a group of parents and educationalists who are promoting a Free school at this location. This group is headed by a retired headteacher of an outstanding central St Albans Primary School and also includes other local parents and educationalists. The group proposes to open a 2 f.e. primary school using HCC admission criteria to ensure the school serves the local community. For clarity, this is not the same as the proposal from the Albany Montessori group, who are also looking to set up a school in St Albans.

All Free school proposals have to be approved by the Department for Education, and the window to submit proposals for a September 2012 opening is between 16 May and 1 June. As such the group is now actively promoting itself within the local community via website, posters and a leaflet (which will be made available next week).

If you want to learn more about the proposed school, you can visit this website www.albancityschool.org.uk. There is also an online survey for pre-school age parents to show their support for the proposal, which is hosted on the HCC website.

Chris White is taking his campaign for a new school in St Albans to Whitehall.

Chris said: ‘At a time when there is no serious opposition to a new school, with the community and the county council lining up in support, it beggars belief that the Department for Education could have made such a mess of things.

‘I have already raised the matter directly with the Decentralisation minister Greg Clark and have now submitted a report to the DfE via Local Government Association contacts.

‘I am sure that blocking new school provision is not the government’s intention and so I am hoping that ministerial intervention will sort out those who failed to agree either of the free school applications that were made for St Albans.’

Tory-run Herts County Council is issuing advice to schools with ideas on how to use the Pupil Premium. The Pupil Premium was a key part of the Liberal Democrat manifesto designed to ensure that pupils from the most disadvantaged backgrounds get the best possible outcome from their education. The money, paid directly to schools, is not ring-fenced for specific projects but is cash for the school to put to the best educational use.

Hertfordshire County Council, however, is recommending to schools that they can use the funding to ‘plug’ the hole in the home school transport budget – which they have just slashed. Pupils who receive free school meals also receive free school transport: therefore the money will not reach those it is intended for.

Ron Tindall, Liberal Democrat Children Schools and Families spokesperson, said, ‘This is a shameful way to use extra money designed to help those who are disadvantaged. Research shows that bright children from disadvantaged backgrounds start school on a par with their peers, but by age 11 there is a huge gap. This money was intended to bridge that gap not to get better off children to school.’

Susan Gaszczak, member of the Liberal Democrat Federal Policy Committee, the body which works up Liberal Democrat policy to send to conference for members to vote on, said: ‘The Liberal Democrat Pupil Premium policy was designed to allow schools freedom to choose how best to support children from lowest income families. Unlike free school meals, which easily identify those in need, conference decided to let head teachers decide the best course of action which may benefit all or some.

‘I hope headteachers do not listen to the advice of the County Council but use this extra money in the spirit it has been given.’

ENDS

Extract from report

Overview and Scrutiny – additional information

Children, Schools & Families

1. To provide Members with information on what the County Council is doing to increase provision of in-house residential placements and to reduce the cost of independent social care.

CSF are increasing 4 of our units by one bed space so instead of offering 6 beds per unit they will now have seven- a total of 4 extra beds. These beds will be available from April 2011 and contribute £970,000 to the service’s transformation savings by 2012/13. In addition at the Adolescent Resource Centre there are now 3 new emergency short term beds for assessment of young people. In addition through improved commissioning we are negotiating more competitive rates for purchased care where specialist residential provision is required.

2. To provide members with advice as to whether it is sensible to remind schools that the pupil premium they are in receipt of could be used to assist with funding home to school transport;

National context – The Pupil Premium has been introduced by the coalition government in order to allow and encourage individual schools to address the needs of their most deprived children. The idea is to enable schools to remove barriers to learning and thus close the gap in achievement. Funding will be based on free school meals data and will go direct to schools. It will be for them to decide how best to use it, based on their knowledge of the needs of their local community and pupils. Local Authorities do not have the power to direct schools in their use of this funding.

Hertfordshire Context – Schools Forum recently set the budget for schools for 2011/12. In doing so, it needed to find savings and mainstream previously ring fenced grants in order to balance the budget. The budget has been set without taking account of the Pupil Premium. This will allow Hertfordshire schools to use the funding as they see fit.

Advice to Schools – Whilst the Local Authority cannot direct schools to use the Pupil Premium in a particular way, it can advise them and encourage appropriate spending plans. Officers have not suggested use of the Pupil Premium to fund home to school transport for children from low income families. Technically, schools could decide to use some or all of their share of this funding in this way. Such a strategy may well emerge as the Transport Policy review progresses, although this is not what the government had in mind for this funding. Nevertheless, if Members took the view that this is a helpful way forward, officers are well placed to introduce the idea as the consultation process continues.

3. To provide Members with reassurance that services are setting realistic thresholds to ensure service user demands and expectations are being managed.

CSF have produced the “Meeting the Needs” threshold document -this clearly sets out criteria for social care services and has received positive feedback from partner agencies. This is readily available to service users. The department uses established parent, carer and young people forums to consult and gain feedback on new policies and changes to service delivery.

A copy of the Meeting the Needs document can be found at:

http://compass.hertscc.gov.uk/area/hcc/csf/currcampaigns/gtoo/16384793/