Consultation hub

Do you agree with the proposal to create a new school, amalgamating Christ Church C of E infant school and Englefield Green Infant School and Nurseries?

• The majority of respondents did not agree with the proposal (63%)
• 32% of all responses were from parents of pupils currently at both schools
• The majority of parents of pupils at Christ Church C of E Infant School disagreed with the proposal (68%)
• The majority of parents of pupils at Englefield Green Infant School and Nurseries agreed with the proposal (58%)
• Some respondents commented on the new school being a church school with 29 in support of the idea and 40 against.
• Out of the 70 responses from parents of pupils at both the current schools only 21 made comments in relation to the religious designation of the new school, 16 were for the school being a Church of England school and 5 were against.

On 10 November 2020 the Leader of the Council agreed the recommendations in the Leader of the Council Decision Meeting Report, to determine the statutory notices and that work should commence to close the existing infant schools on 31 August 2021 and open the new school on 1 September 2021

Reasons for recommendations:

Both Christ Church C of E Infant School and Englefield Green Infant School and Nurseries have experienced a decline in admissions in recent years. This has meant there has been a surplus of places and the school budget has reduced as school budgets are based on the number of pupils on roll, in the schools. Forecasts are showing that whilst pupil numbers are expected to increase in more urban parts of Runnymede, they are not expected to increase in Virginia Water and Englefield Green.

The new infant school would work closely with the local junior school, St Jude’s C of E Junior School, with potential for a more formal partnership in the future.

The three schools share similar values and educational expectations, having worked closely for a number of years as part of a wider informal collaborative partnership of Church of England schools and schools affiliated with the diocese. Each school is rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted. By amalgamating the two infant schools, opportunities for further joint working with St Jude’s Junior School are offered in a more cost effective and strategic manner than at present with two separate infant schools. This will, in turn, make the school more sustainable in the long-term.

The educational vision of the new school is to build an outstanding school that meets the needs of children aged two to seven years in the community it serves.

This proposal is supported by the governors of Englefield Green Infant School and Nurseries, Christ Church C of E Infant School and St Jude’s C of E Junior School. The result of the amalgamation and continued collaboration with St Jude’s will be that there will be provision for 60 places for children in newly amalgamated infant school in Englefield Green from reception to year two matching the Published Admission Number (PAN) of 60 year 3 places at St Jude’s Junior School.

In order to understand the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on engagement activities within the adult health and care environment in Surrey, Surrey County Council and Surrey Heartlands Clinical Commissioning Group asked key stakeholders to complete an online survey which took place between 1 and 19 June 2020.

We hoped to gain some insight into what new methods of engagement have been utilised, what have been the most effective and how organisations might do things differently in the future.

The unfortunate circumstances of the pandemic and a lockdown situation has catapulted the use of technology and its adoption for communications and engagement activity and provided a lifeline for social contact for many residents who are shielding and/or isolated. 

Organisations large and small have had to learn new skills, acquire and install new technology and move to home working over many months. It is clear that when people find themselves in extraordinary situations such as recent events they can adapt pretty well and there are many examples of how new ways of working have opened up opportunities for organisations and residents. 

The survey feedback highlights many positive aspects to engaging remotely and using technology. One common theme is how new people have been engaged who were not known to services or engaging prior to the pandemic. There are repeated examples of the positive impact on individuals and reaching more residents, younger residents and people who use services. The appetite for trialling new technology has heightened significantly. 

We now need to harness this new energy and knowledge and apply it to our engagement functions in the future. The survey has found that virtual engagement has proven popular and effective and will play a key part for organisations in the coming months as we safely emerge from lockdown. At the same time, we are mindful that a significant minority of residents are ‘digitally excluded’ and we therefore need to be innovative in order to ensure they can make their views known. 

During this transition period Surrey County Council and the Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care System will continue to plan and implement critical engagement and consultation functions, taking on board the survey’s feedback.

As a system, we are focused on restoration and recovery following the Covid-19 crisis and on ensuring that we are positioned to respond efficiently and effectively to any future outbreaks, should they occur in Surrey. 

We shall engage and consult with residents using multiple channels and mechanisms but will need to explore how the most effective technology is available, usable and sustainable for our activities with local residents and stakeholders. 

We will aim to hold face to face meetings or events where it is appropriate and safe to do so, following the national guidance.

Do you agree with the proposal to expand Brooklands School from September 2020?

There were 15 responses following the publication of the Statutory Notices: 13 residents agreed with the proposal to expand the school and 2 respondants disagreed.

The majority of respondents acknowledged the benefit of expanding Brooklands School on the site at Alexander Road.

The main concern raised was about parking during drop off and collection periods and parking arrangements for the additional staff.

On 14 April  2020 Julie Iles, Cabinet Member for All-Age Learning, approved the recommendation to expand Brooklands School on the site at Alexander Road from September 2020. Any relevant permanent planning application required for the expansion will be pursued and determined in accordance with relevant planning legislation.