Consultation on the future of The Mary Towerton Primary School

Overview

We are seeking your views on the future of The Mary Towerton Primary School at Studley Green, High Wycombe.

It is with deep regret that we, with the support of the Governing Board of The Mary Towerton Primary School, are seeking the views of parents and carers, staff and other stakeholders on the future of the school.

If a decision is taken to close the school, it is proposed that this will take effect on 31 August 2023. 

Why is this being proposed?

The Mary Towerton Primary School is a small, rural primary school for children aged 4 to 11. The school has a published admission number of 14 with a capacity for 98 pupils.

The school has been under-subscribed for a number of years. Pupil numbers fall substantially short of the school’s published admission number. As of September 2022, the school had 33 pupils, with 8 pupils across Key Stage 1 (i.e. Reception, Year 1 and Year 2).

School admissions for September 2023 currently show no first preferences for The Mary Towerton Primary School.

Ofsted’s inspection in October 2019 recognised the school as ‘requires improvement’. Since then, the school has had high teacher turnover and many pupils have left the school.

Schools are mainly funded by the number of pupils attending the school. As a result, delivery of a full and balanced curriculum at The Mary Towerton Primary School is difficult with the small and decreasing number of children and staff.

Based on these factors, and despite the best efforts of governors, staff and our support, we are initiating the process for closure, although no decision to close the school has yet been made.

What would this mean for pupils at the school?

Should The Mary Towerton Primary School close on 31 August 2023, parents and carers would be able to express a preference for a place at an alternative school.

We would manage this process and ensure there are local places for all families. Parents and carers would be asked to complete an in-year admissions application form. Up to three preferred schools can be named.

We would aim to meet parent and carers’ preferences wherever possible, but cannot make guarantees as this will depend upon vacancies at the time.

We will have a focus on pupils with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) by ensuring the right levels of support continue to be in place for pupils who need it.

Support with the in-year admissions process

Our Admission Officers would be available to support families with completing in-year applications for school places for start in September 2023.

The earliest window to complete an in-year admissions application form for September start is from 8 May to 5 June 2023.

All applications would be considered together and not on a first-come, first served basis. Applications can be made and places held before the final decision whether to close the school or not is made.

What would this mean for staff at the school?

The staff group is aware of the circumstances and the recognised trade unions have been notified of the consultation.

Staff are invited to submit responses to this consultation. There will also be a separate consultation for staff from 8 March to 12 April 2023.

Staff can join the Employee Transfer Register. All affected staff will be provided with support and further information.

Closing a rural school

There is a presumption against the closure of rural schools. This does not mean a rural school will never close, but the case for closure should be strong and clearly in the best interests of educational provision in the area.

There must be evidence to show the following factors have been carefully considered:

• availability of places across the wider area
• educational offer at the school
• the impact on the community
• alternatives to closure including collaboration with other schools / trusts 
• admissions and transport implications

We have considered all these factors which are outlined in our consultation document.

Related documents

Before you respond to this activity, please have a look at the following document:

• The Mary Towerton Primary School consultation document and printed survey (PDF 0.25MB)

Events to find out more

We are hosting two public meetings to find out more about the proposal on:

• Tuesday 14 March at 2.30pm
  • at The Mary Towerton Primary School at Studley Green, Water End Road, Studley Green, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP14 3XN
• Tuesday 14 March at 7pm
  • at The Mary Towerton Primary School at Studley Green, Water End Road, Studley Green, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP14 3XN

Representatives from Buckinghamshire Council and the Governing Board will be present.

You do not need to book to attend this event.

How to have your say

You can tell us your views in one of the following ways:

• Complete the online survey using the link at the end of the page
• Complete, and return, a printed version of the survey (PDF 0.25MB)
• Email us at themarytowertonconsultation@buckinghamshire.gov.uk
• Write to us at The School Commissioning Team, Buckinghamshire Council, 1st Floor, Walton Street Office, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP20 1UZ

If you have any questions about this activity, please email us at themarytowertonconsultation@buckinghamshire.gov.uk.

Please tell us your views by midnight on Sunday 2 April 2023.

What happens next

With The Mary Towerton Primary School Governing Board, we will consider all the responses we receive and take a decision on whether to proceed to the next stage and propose closure.

If the decision is taken to proceed, the next stage is the publication of a statutory notice.

Statutory notice

The statutory notice is a more formal opportunity to give your views by submitting formal objections or support to the proposed closure.

This stage runs for 4 weeks. If the decision is taken to proceed, we would expect the statutory notice to run from 28 April to 26 May 2023.

The responses received would be considered by the Governing Board and Buckinghamshire Council.

Final decision on proposed closure

The Leader of Buckinghamshire Council, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Education and Children's Services, would take the decision on the final outcome. We would expect this decision to be made in July 2023.

If the decision is taken to close the school, it is proposed that this would take effect on 31 August 2023.

Privacy

We will use the information you provide here only for this activity. We will store the information securely in line with data protection laws and will not share or publish any personal details. For more information about data and privacy, please see our Privacy Policy.

If you have questions about data and privacy, please email us on dataprotection@buckinghamshire.gov.uk. Or write to our Data Protection Officer at Buckinghamshire Council, The Gateway, Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, HP19 8FF.