Supporting Schools' Change to a Two Tier System

In a statement published today, Mayor Dave Hodgson has announced Bedford Borough Council's commitment to supporting schools to change to a two tier system of primary and secondary schools.

The statement follows meetings held today at Borough Hall between the Council and School Leaders. All Head Teachers and Chairs of Governors were invited by Mayor Dave and Cabint Member for Education Clr Henry Vann to come and discuss directly the Council's plan to provide strategic leadership to ensure that the move to a two-tier system, which is already being pursued by a number of schools across the Borough, is coherent, coordinated and serves the interests of all local children.

Here's Mayor Dave's statement in full:

Supporting local schools to deliver the highest quality education for local children is a fundamental priority for me and for Bedford Borough Council.

Colleagues and I have been listening to school leaders, governors and parents over a long period about what they believe is best for local schoolchildren. At the same time we have all seen how structural change is being pursued by schools and groups of schools across the Borough.

The overwhelming majority of local schools are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted.

This is thanks to the hard work of pupils, teachers and whole school communities, who have been supported by our excellent team from the Council.

We also have a nationally recognised capital investment programme via Bedford Borough's first ever Schools Capital Investment Plan, including the ongoing replacement of all temporary classrooms, and via the creation of 3,000 new school places since 2011 to ensure a school place for every child and to avert the capacity crisis seen elsewhere.

So make no mistake we have an excellent track record of delivery

However, it is clear that there is a renewed impetus for the uncertainty around school structures to be resolved. Through conversations with schools and parents, I am left in no doubt that their priorities are for the best quality education for our children and a clear journey through the school system.

With changes now already taking place across the Borough and with an increasing number of schools making their future intentions clear, we will provide comprehensive and structured leadership to support a successful process of change to two tier education. The alternative of disjointed change is clearly not in local pupils' best interests.

This commitment includes the creation of a fund which will help to deliver the physical changes required to make the transition to a clear, successful two-tier schools structure.

We plan to invest £39 million in schools in the next five years. This will support the move to a two-tier education system where sought, the continued removal of temporary classrooms, school maintenance and the provision of sufficient primary school places. This funding will come from existing funding streams and will be able to support the process of changing to a two tier structure. We will work with all schools of all types, the Department for Education, the Education Funding Agency, diocese, government and other partners to supplement this funding in order to facilitate this wholesale change.

The process will not be about closing schools, but rather working alongside schools to design and deliver the necessary changes, and retaining the very best of the current system in the transition to the new structure.

We have shown through supporting the structural change which has already taken place in some areas that we will ensure that change does not take place in a piecemeal or haphazard fashion, and instead is designed with the interests of all children at its heart. The Council is committing to provide a strategic lead to bring schools of all types together, working with them to bring about the best outcome for local children.

There are exciting times ahead for the school system in Bedford Borough, and I look forward to embarking on this process alongside our schools and communities to get best for children and young people now and in the future.

Dave Hodgson

Mayor of Bedford Borough