West Alvington C of E Academy Primary: Proposal to change age range from 2-11 to 4-11

West Alvington Church of England Academy is committed to providing a high quality, sustainable education for the children and families it serves. As part of our ongoing responsibility to review the organisation and long-term viability of our provision, the Learning Academy Partnership is seeking views on a proposal to change the school’s age range from 2–11 to 4–11. This proposed change reflects the need to ensure that the school’s resources, staffing, and learning environments are focused effectively on supporting pupils of statutory school age, while also responding to the financial and operational challenges facing the current nursery provision.

The purpose of this consultation is to provide clear information about the proposal, explain the reasons for the recommended change, and gather feedback from parents, carers, staff, and the wider community before any final decision is made. No decisions have yet been taken, and the views of stakeholders are an essential part of the process.

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 change the age range of West Alvington 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 class would formally close.

Background

West Alvington currently operates as a 2 –11 primary academy with an on‑site nursery class. Due to a range of strategic, financial, and operational factors, the Board of Trustees is proposing to remove the nursery provision and return the school to its traditional 4–11 primary phase age range.

Key reasons for the proposal include:

• Declining demand for nursery places in the local area.
• Sustainabilityconcerns linked to staffing, funding, and consistently low nursery enrolment.
• Challenges in maintaining a high-quality early years offer within a small, mixed age setting.

The proposal requires a formal process because altering a school’s age range constitutes a significant change under Department for Education (DfE) regulations

Rationale for the Proposed Change

1. Financial and Operational Viability

Nursery provision must be fully funded through early years entitlement funding and parental fees. At West Alvington, persistently low numbers have meant that:

• The provision has not been financially viable for some time, making a loss in 2023/24 of £20.5k and in 2024/25 £23k
• The school has had to subsidise nursery staffing and resources from core school funding.
• Maintaining the nursery would place continued increasing pressure on the school’s overall budget.

2. Ability to Maintain Quality

A high-quality early years offer requires:

• Sufficient numbers of children to enable effective social, emotional, and learning experiences
• Staffing levels that maintain safety and quality
• Specialist resources, curriculum design and leadership capacity

With ongoing small cohorts, it has become increasingly difficult to sustain the high early years standards that reflect the Trust’s mission of Flourishing Futures.

3. 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.

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.

4.  Impact on Children, Families and Staff

If approved:

• The nursery would close on 31 August 2026.
• Children who are already of nursery age or due to start nursery after this date would need to access alternative early years provision in the local area.
• The Trust will support families by signposting local nurseries and childcare providers.
• Staffing implications will be managed through the Trust’s HR processes, with consultation and support offered to affected staff.

This proposal does not affect:

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

5.  Capital and Planning Considerations

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

6.  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: westalvington@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