Prescribed Alteration Statutory Proposal – Alfred Lord Tennyson School

Overview

School: Alfred Lord Tennyson School (ALTS)

Local Authority: North Northamptonshire

Type of Alteration: Alteration of upper or lower age range by one year or more, including the adding or removal of sixth form or nursery provision

North Northamptonshire Council in agreement with the Governing Board of Alfred Lord Tennyson School is proposing to amend its age range from 3-11 to 4-11. This will have the effect of closing the nursery class from August 2025.

The proposal has met the criteria for a significant change and therefore a full proposal and public notice of this proposed change must be issued.

Background information

• Alfred Lord Tennyson School (ALTS) is a newly amalgamated school.
• ALTS amalgamated in September 2023.
• The school currently operates on 2 sites, those being the previously named Tennyson Road Infant School site and the previously named Alfred Street Junior School site.
• ALTS are considering changing their age range from 3-11 to 4-11 from September 2025 having inherited the Nursery as part of the amalgamation.
• This will have the effect of closing the school nursery.
• The current nursery provision is based at the Tennyson Road Infant School site.
• The school are currently working with the local authority to move to one site in September 2025.
• The chosen site for the move to 1 site is the previously named Alfred Street Junior School site.

Why the school is proposing the change

• The nursery currently takes 6 children.  This is not financially viable for ALTS.
• The school are at risk of significant financial challenges. This is due to the staffing requirements that are required for nursery age children.
• With children joining the school that may require one to one support, triggering recruitment of additional staff, the school’s budget will be placed under further pressure.
• Another point of note is that the school building will not have a suitable space to accommodate the nursery when the move to one site takes place in September 2025.
• The school will not have a space which is compliant with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework, which has strict requirements around space per child.

There are no foreseeable impacts on existing pupils.  Information sought from Early Years Sufficiency team indicates that there are suitable numbers of existing 3-4 year old places in the locality to provide for this age range of children in the region.

Feedback

As part of this process the school have conducted a pre-consultation from their own community and have received no responses.

How the decision will be made

The four-week representation period commences on Monday 20 January 2025 and closes at 23.59 on Monday 17 February 2025.

At the conclusion of this consultation period the North Northamptonshire Council will consider all responses to this Statutory Proposal and Public Notice.

Following the conclusion of this consultation.  The decision will be presented to the Executive where feedback will be considered and then a decision will be made as to whether to proceed with the proposal.

Have your say

You can share your feedback via the online survey below. Alternatively, you can provide feedback via email or post:

Email:  LSEAdmin.NCC@northnorthants.gov.uk

Post:    FAO: North Northamptonshire Council
            Prescribed Alteration Statutory Proposal – Alfred Lord Tennyson School
            North Northamptonshire Council
            Municipal Offices
            Bowling Green Road
            Kettering NN15 7QX

The consultation will be open from Monday 20 January 2025 until 23.59 on Monday 17 February 2025.

For information about how consultation and engagement responses are managed, please see the consultation and engagement privacy notice.