Council to extend Chiltern Edge consultation

A decision on the future of Chiltern Edge School will be delayed by a month in order to allow more time to consider consultation responses.

The school has been put into special measures following an Ofsted rating of ‘Inadequate’, and a decision on whether or not to publish a statutory closure notice was due to be taken by the council’s Cabinet on 20 June. This decision has now been scheduled for 18 July.

The extra time will enable the consultation – which is looking at all possible options for improving the education of local children – to be extended until 30 June.

Consultation responses

The county council’s Director for Children’s Services Lucy Butler said: “We feel this extension will help reach the best possible outcome for children’s education, and serve to reassure families that absolutely no decisions have been taken at this stage.

“We want to ensure that every single response to the consultation will be reflected in the report that will be presented to the Cabinet for a decision.”

She added: “It’s important to stress that we are looking at all possible options – not just potential closure - to deliver the improved education that local children deserve. I can also assure families that the school would not close without appropriate transfer arrangements in place for every child to attend a better-performing school. We would encourage everyone with an interest in the provision of good quality education for children in the local area to take part in the consultation.”

Decision timetable

If a statutory notice is published, it would now be the council’s intention to do so in September, with a final decision on whether to close the school to be taken by the council’s Cabinet in October. This means that parents applying for places for 2018 would know the decision before the applications deadline.

Please visit www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/chilternedge for more information, Frequently Asked Questions and to take part in the consultation.