Shefford and Stotfold
Shefford and Stotfold - consultation
Shefford, Stotfold and the surrounding area is set to grow, with some 5,400 new homes being built up to 2035. This will clearly impact on schools, and we estimate that we’ll need an extra 3,500 places across our schools.
Public consultation (winter 2019)
Between 29 October 2019 and 20 January 2020, there was a public consultation on a proposed plan which would deliver the following changes between 2021 and 2029:
to change the age range of all 17 lower schools to become primary schools
to build four new primary schools, two of which will provide new accommodation for two of our current schools (Campton Lower and Gothic Mead Academy)
to change the age range of the upper school (Samuel Whitbread), two extended secondary schools (Etonbury Academy and Pix Brook Academy) and two middle schools (Robert Bloomfield and Henlow) to become secondary schools
to provide additional sixth form provision in Samuel Whitbread and, at a later date, at either Etonbury or Pix Brook
These proposals would see the schools in Shefford, Stotfold and the surrounding area effectively moving to a primary/secondary system to allow expansion to accommodate the new places.
Whilst these changes are significant, it’s a positive move that would increase the capacity of each school, allowing them to grow and accommodate additional school places and provide great education for all pupils in the future.
Consultation results and revised plan
1,467 people responded the formal public consultation.
You can read the full report on the results of on the council website, but a high-level summary is provided below.
There was:
strong support for long term plan (95%) and coordinating change across the locality (91%)
but there were mixed comments about the timing of changes – some wanting a staggered approach, some wanted all to change together but also a strong theme about minimising disruption to pupil’s education
Consideration of this feedback has led to the council facilitating further discussions with the schools.
These discussions led to a revised plan. The revised plan is summarised below:
Phase one:
Henlow changes to secondary and its feeder schools Langford, Derwent, Clifton, All Saints, Meppershall and Raynsford change to primary at the same time in 2021. This took place in September 2021.
Phase two:
Robert Bloomfield and Samuel Whitbread to come together as Shefford & Clifton Academy Education Campus (0 to 18) on the same site, to include:
7FE secondary school
2FE primary school
3FE primary school
Shefford Lower and Roecroft Lower to become 2FE primary schools
all other lower schools convert to primary
Pix Brook and Etonbury are currently extended secondary schools and due to become secondary school
This revised plan, following consideration of the consultation feedback, was discussed at the Council’s Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 10 March 2020.
The Overview and Scrutiny Committee is a public meeting, the public can attend or watch the meeting online. You can read the papers for this meeting on the council website.
Overview and Scrutiny make recommendations to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee considered the consultation feedback, the discussions with schools and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee before making a decision to progress to the next stage – a statutory consultation for all Central Bedfordshire Council maintained schools – at its meeting on 7 April 2020.
Academy schools (which are run independently of from the Council) do not need to publish statutory notices for public comment.
Statutory consultation and decision
On 4 August, 2020, Central Bedfordshire Council’s Executive Committee approved proposals to change the age range of its 10 maintained schools, enabling a move to a primary / secondary model. You can watch the committee meeting online.
These schools are:
Campton Lower School (this school became an academy in November 2020)
Derwent Lower School (has now transitioned to become Derwent Primary School along with the other schools that feed into Henlow Academy)
Fairfield Park Lower School (both the Ruskin Drive site and the Dickens Blvd site)
Haynes Lower School
Roecroft Lower School
Shefford Lower School
Shillington Lower School
Southill Lower School
St Mary’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Lower School
Stondon Lower School
The Council’s Executive made its decision after a Department for Education-required statutory consultation concluded on June 30, 2020, on changes know as ‘prescribed alterations’.
View the consultation results.
The changes that have been approved can be found within the statutory consultation document.