Charleton C of E Academy School: Proposal to change age range from 2-11 to 4-11

Charleton Church of England Academy previously offered nursery provision for children aged 2–4. This provision closed in September 2024 due to consistently low demand and the resulting financial and operational pressures. Since that date, the school has effectively been operating as a 4–11 primary academy, with no early years children attending and no staffing or resources allocated to nursery provision.

Over the past year, the Learning Academy Partnership has carefully reviewed whether reinstating the nursery would be viable or beneficial for the community. This review has confirmed that there is no current or anticipated future demand for nursery places at Charleton, and reopening the provision at this stage would not be financially sustainable.

The purpose of this consultation is to seek the views of parents, carers, staff, the Diocese, and the wider community on the proposal to formally change the school’s age range from 2–11 to 4–11, reflecting the way the school is currently operating.

If you need this document in a different format or language, please contact Devon County Council’s School Consultation Team on 01392 382057 or via email: schoolconsultations@devon.gov.uk 

Proposal

The Learning Academy Partnership is consulting on a proposal to formally change the age range of Charleton Church of England Academy from 2–11 to 4–11, with effect from September 2026.

This change would mean that the school would no longer offer nursery provision, and the existing nursery provision would formally end.

Background

Although Charleton is registered as a 2–11 primary academy, it has not operated a nursery provision since September 2024. The withdrawal of the nursery provision followed a period of low and declining demand, making the provision financially unsustainable. Since the closure:

• No children have accessed early years provision at Charleton.
• No applications, minimal enquiries or expressions of interest have been received for nursery places.
• Families have continued to access established early years settings in the local area, all of which have sufficient capacity.

The Trust has monitored local early years need and birth rate data, alongside engagement with families. This has confirmed that there is no requirement to reinstate thenursery provision and reopening it would risk the school’s financial and operational stability.

Formalising the school’s age range will ensure Charleton’s registration aligns with its actual operation and supports effective long-term planning.

Rationale for the Proposed Change

1. No Active Nursery Provision Since September 2024

• The nursery has been fully closed since September 2024.
• During this time, there have been no applications, enquiries, or expressions ofinterest for nursery places.
• The closure has confirmed that the previously low demand was not temporary, with no evidence of unmet need locally.

2. Lack of Demand for Early Years Places

• Local early years providers have sufficient capacity to meet demand.
• Population data and local birth rates indicate no projected increase that would justify reopening provision.
• Families have already established routines with alternative providers and have not expressed a preference for nursery places at Charleton

While there is currently no evidence of demand for nursery provision, the Trust remains committed to keeping this under review should circumstances or local needs change.

3.  Impact on Children, Families and Colleagues

• As the nursery has been closed since September 2024, there is no direct impact onchildren currently attending.
• Families seeking nursery provision will continue to access established early years settings in the local area, which offer sufficient capacity.
• There are no staffing implications, as the nursery team has not been operational since closure.

This proposal does not affect:

• The school’s Published Admission Number (PAN)
• The capacity or number of places available for statutory school aged children

4.  Capital and Planning Considerations

• No additional capital work is required for this proposal.
• No planning consent is required.

5.  Consultation and Decision Making Process

This consultation will run from: Thursday 19^th March 2026 to Friday 17^th April 2026 at 12pm.

Following the close of the consultation:

• The Trust Board will review all responses.
• A decision will be made on whether to submit a Significant Change application to the Department for Education.
• The DfE is the final decision maker for age‑range changes.

6.  How to Respond to the Consultation

Please send any comments or questions by email to: charleton@lapsw.org

The consultation closes on Friday 17^th April 2026 at 12pm.

All responses will be shared with the school leadership team and provided to the DfE as part of the decision making process (individual feedback will not be responded to directly).

The Trust Privacy Notice can be found here: Fair Processing Notice Autum 25