[Brighton] Benfield Primary School Petition

[Bold Seagull]

PLEASE SIGN

The local authority wish to push through reducing the school to 1 form entry greatly reducing the impact the school can have on the outcomes for pupils. Presently:
1. The school is on budget and has been for the last 5 years. This doesn't save the council any money.

2. The school is rated Good with areas of outstanding. It serves a diverse cohort and progress data for pupils is now in the top 25% in the country! An incredible achievement and a real measure of teaching quality.

3. The school has done so well, it put a bid in (based on 2 form entry) for Teaching School Status and was awarded that this year. It will help new teachers progress and also already helps spread best practice to other local schools.

4. Portslade already has 3 single form entry schools with St Nicholas the other 2 form entry, which as a church school sets its own admissions criteria and not a choice for all parents. Benfield also serves a lot of West Hove families. It continues to grow its first choice numbers.

If the council simply left the school as it is right now, we have a balanced budget and are not taking pupils that could go elsewhere. This decision WOULD NOT save money, but it would hurt Benfield School which is why a Facebook Group is a centre for parent action and petition set up. Please sign, or post any points / queries that as a governor of the school I'll do my best to answer.

 

[Guinness Boy]

PLEASE SIGN

The local authority wish to push through reducing the school to 1 form entry greatly reducing the impact the school can have on the outcomes for pupils. Presently:
1. The school is on budget and has been for the last 5 years. This doesn't save the council any money.

2. The school is rated Good with areas of outstanding. It serves a diverse cohort and progress data for pupils is now in the top 25% in the country! An incredible achievement and a real measure of teaching quality.

3. The school has done so well, it put a bid in (based on 2 form entry) for Teaching School Status and was awarded that this year. It will help new teachers progress and also already helps spread best practice to other local schools.

4. Portslade already has 3 single form entry schools with St Nicholas the other 2 form entry, which as a church school sets its own admissions criteria and not a choice for all parents. Benfield also serves a lot of West Hove families. It continues to grow its first choice numbers.

If the council simply left the school as it is right now, we have a balanced budget and are not taking pupils that could go elsewhere. This decision WOULD NOT save money, but it would hurt Benfield School which is why a Facebook Group is a centre for parent action and petition set up. Please sign, or post any points / queries that as a governor of the school I'll do my best to answer.

Signed.

As a Portslade parent I think it's really important that there's an option between one and two form schools in the area. We moved our kids from a single form school to St Nic's. One of the reasons was they got a terrible year teacher who they all hated and there was no escape. At St Nics they have different teachers for different sets and subjects as they get older, better preparing them for secondary.

St Nics isn't quite as churchy as you make out and they'll take any child living in the parish through the local authority application route, but it's still not for everyone. A friend of ours also moved her 2 daughters to Benfield recently and is absolutely delighted with it. It seems only sensible to have two options when money saving isn't the outcome.

Unfortunately Portslade was very badly planned. Too many schools were made all through, without the experience or resources. IMO would have been better to keep separate infants and juniors and increase form intake where space & resource allowed.


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[Thunder Bolt]

Nah, St Nicolas was always the best.

Of course, I'll sign. Choice is a good thing.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Signed.

As a Portslade parent I think it's really important that there's an option between one and two form schools in the area. We moved our kids from a single form school to St Nic's. One of the reasons was they got a terrible year teacher who they all hated and there was no escape. At St Nics they have different teachers for different sets and subjects as they get older, better preparing them for secondary.

St Nics isn't quite as churchy as you make out and they'll take any child living in the parish through the local authority application route, but it's still not for everyone. A friend of ours also moved her 2 daughters to Benfield recently and is absolutely delighted with it. It seems only sensible to have two options when money saving isn't the outcome.

Unfortunately Portslade was very badly planned. Too many schools were made all through, without the experience or resources. IMO would have been better to keep separate infants and juniors and increase form intake where space & resource allowed.


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It is very poor planning. The council rushed to expand West Hove and St Andrews under political pressure, neither of which wanted to expand on their tight sites, and now The Connault has asked to reduce in this process. The council now faces a reduction in numbers after putting thousands into expanding schools. Benfield now faces the brunt of this poor forward thinking despite as said it giving pupils a great chance for positive outcomes.

St Nicholas isn't currently oversubscribed so yes anyone can go their, but if it is was Anglican Church goers would be prioritised, however that isn't the criticism here, St Nicks is a choice as is Benfield.

The long and the short is the council could leave Benfield alone as it's a neutral cost at present, their box ticking exercise for them, hurts the school and the community though.

 

[AmexRuislip]

Done

 

[Murray 17]

There just isn't the demand for places.

Benfield has been 2-form entry (60 spaces) for at least 7 years now. In that time, parents have chosen it as first choice this many times:
15, 24, 16, 28, 21, 18 and 28.

In a previous thread, the OP stated that there are too many primary school places in Brighton and Hove, and that some schools will need to have their intake reduced. St Nicks is 2-form and over-subscribed, and Brackenbury has already been reduced to 1-form.

With budget cuts and a drop in the birthrate, this was inevitable.

 

[Bold Seagull]

There just isn't the demand for places.

Benfield has been 2-form entry (60 spaces) for at least 7 years now. In that time, parents have chosen it as first choice this many times:
15, 24, 16, 28, 21, 18 and 28.

In a previous thread, the OP stated that there are too many primary school places in Brighton and Hove, and that some schools will need to have their intake reduced. St Nicks is 2-form and over-subscribed, and Brackenbury has already been reduced to 1-form.

With budget cuts and a drop in the birthrate, this was inevitable.

34 this year. The school is within budget. Brighton & Hove IS going to grow, the LA don't want to close any schools because they want the future capacity. The LA gain nothing from this other than ruining a well run school that has operated within its means and set an exceptional benchmark in pupil progress through the school.

There is nothing inevitable about it really, if they just left it at the numbers you say and they're within budget, and delivering teaching standards, and not taking pupils from elsewhere - why not leave it as it is? There is no need to reduce the intake.

The council is pressured to building thousands of new homes, the capacity will be needed, there is no need to touch Benfield at this point. I argued this at the consultation meeting with Jo Lyons and they have no answer to it because they know it saves them nothing, it's a bureaucratic exercise.

 

[Murray 17]

34 this year.

34 children have started Reception this year, of which 28 chose it as first choice (according to the B&H Website).

 

[Bold Seagull]

34 children have started Reception this year, of which 28 chose it as first choice (according to the B&H Website).

That's the only point you can address!?

 

[Buzzer]

Done

 

[WATFORD zero]

Done, from a Ken Beard era pupil

 

[studio150]

Done, from a Ken Beard era pupil

Snap

 

[Husty]

So what if it is within budget, if it's under subscribed that isn't surprising... Obviously if they reduce the size they'll be able to reduce its budget and therefore save money.

 

[Bold Seagull]

So what if it is within budget, if it's under subscribed that isn't surprising... Obviously if they reduce the size they'll be able to reduce its budget and therefore save money.

School funding is based on pupil numbers on the government's funding formula per pupil. So if the school is currently acting as a defacto single form entry the money it gets will be the same as when it's designated single form. 30 kids is the same funding whether you're single form or a 2 form entry. Benfield federated with Hangleton Primary and have been able allow teachers not needed in one school to teach at the other. So if you think this saves money you're wrong.

Why does this matter then? Because a 2 form entry can offer more choice in the long run for many different reasons.

The LA are actually subsidicising some of the single form entries at tax payers expense whose data and pupil outcomes are not as good as Benfield. This isn't about other schools, but there are alternatives to this move which WOULD save money.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Need a few more signatures please.

 

[robinsonsgrin]

done

 

[Guinness Boy]

Have you posted on the Buzz on Boundary Facebook group? I ask as I'm not on it but every other opinionated busy body in Portslade seems to be


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[MattBackHome]

Guilty as charged

 

[Bold Seagull]

Hertford Infant School reached a petition of 1250+ signatures which enabled them to present their case to councillors which they did last night, councillors who attended the Benfield consultation also spoke about how the impact will effect these schools.

With the paper signatures we're up to 1000, and need 250 more so that parents and those behind the school can present their case to councillors.

https://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=558&RPID=20477099&HPID=20477099

 

[Petee]

My old junior school, done.