Primary school looking to boost pupil numbers
Cherry Orchard Primary School leaders are looking to open a pre-school and lower the admission age for children.
The school’s management team has been consulting parents about the proposals, which follow Cherry Orchard Primary joining the Rivers CofE Academy Trust earlier this year.
If the plans go ahead the school would lower its admissions age to three and run the pre-school on its Timberdine Close site in Battenhall 50 weeks a year, closing only for the Christmas period.
It would be open from 7.30am until 6pm, Monday to Friday, from January next year.
Headteacher Karen Banford said there were “very few settings currently offering all-day care for 50 weeks of the year”.
She added: “The children would be eligible to start the pre-school in the term after they turn three and would stay with us until they start school.
“We think this would support our current provision, offering a bright, vibrant and engaging pre-school which has been specifically set up with pre-children in mind.”
The consultation letter to parents says the school wants to ensure three and four-year-olds have access to “high-quality, all-year round, pre-school provision” which “would fit in well with our family ethos”.
It adds that there would be “no” disruption to the education of pupils currently at the school, saying: “By having a pre-school on site we firmly believe it will further enhance the provision at school”.
It went on: “There is no expectation for any additional building work to be needed in the short term.”
The letter says there would be no impact on the school’s reception class, explaining: “Current admission arrangements to the school will remain unchanged and will not be affected by admission to the pre-school.”
The school invited parents to return completed response forms and held an open meeting on the proposals via Zoom.
Following the end of the consultation period during June the information gathered is being reviewed by the school’s management team to see if any adjustments need to be made before applying to the Department for Education (DfE) for approval to change the age range of the school from four to 11 years to three to 11.
What do think about a new pre-school at Cherry Orchard Primary School? Let us know your views at southworcestervoice@gmail.com
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