Combe Martin Primary School – Proposal to change the age range

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

We are excited to propose an enhancement to our early years and primary education offer by extending the age range of Combe Martin Primary School from 2–11 years to 0–11 years with effect from September 2026. This will enable the school to create a seamless and continuous educational provision from birth through to Key Stage 2.

Background

Combe Martin Primary School currently provides early years provision for children aged 2–4 years from a dedicated building on the school site. This provision is delivered by qualified early years practitioners and operates during term time only.
As part of our commitment to supporting families and meeting increased demand for childcare locally, the Trust is proposing to extend our early years offer to include places for babies and under-2s, creating an integrated birth-to-11 provision on the school site.
It is proposed that the age range of Combe Martin Primary School, part of Alumnis Multi Academy Trust, will formally change from 2–11 to 0–11 years of age from September 2026.

This proposal aligns with the Government’s expansion of funded childcare entitlements and reflects our aim to deliver high-quality, accessible early years education for local families.
Nursery Building

We propose to use an existing underused space within the school site to create a purpose-designed nursery environment suitable for children aged 0–4 years. This redevelopment will allow us to offer a high-quality, safe, and stimulating early years environment that includes:

• A dedicated baby room
• Provision for under-2s
• A continuous early year’s classroom for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds
• A secure outdoor area that will support free flow play between indoor and outdoor spaces
• Age-appropriate resources that support early development and learning

The expanded nursery will offer:

• 11 places for under 2’s
• 21 places for 2-year-olds
• 21 places for 3–4-year-olds

Breakfast and after-school care will also be available, and the provision will be fully accessible for children with additional needs.
It is planned to open for 48 weeks of the year and not just during term times. Parents will be able to spread their funded entitlement across more than 38 weeks which will make early years provision more affordable for some families. This will complement holiday provision for primary school aged children. Families will have the convenience of a 48-week provision on the school site.

The nursery will continue to be led by qualified staff, with additional early years practitioners recruited as needed. We are committed to ensuring that these proposals will not affect the Published Admission Number (PAN) of the school, nor reduce the capacity of the school for statutory school-aged children. Combe Martin Primary School has unused classrooms, and therefore there will be no adverse effect on the operational capacity of the school.

Parents will still need to make a separate application to Devon County Council for a place in the Reception class, even if their child attends the school nursery.

Should the necessary approvals be granted, the new nursery provision will operate on-site from September 2026.
If the planned building work is not completed by this date, the Trust would still proceed with the age range change, subject to approval from the Department for Education and Devon County Council.

The Process

The proposal to extend the age range of the school requires a Significant Change application submitted to the Department for Education (DfE). The DfE is the decision-maker.

Following the end of this consultation, and consideration of the responses, the Academy Trust is proposing to submit a consolidated application to the DfE. The consolidated application will include a Significant Change application to extend the age range, and the capital funding application.

All responses to this consultation will be reviewed by the school, Alumnis Multi Academy Trust, and shared with the Department for Education.
The Capital Grants are to support the expansion of childcare places as a result of the Government’s increased early years entitlements for working families.

This new funding has already increased the demand for childcare and is one of the reasons why this proposal is being brought forward now, along with the availability of capital funding and the desire to expand the preschool provision on the school site.

The proposed timetable is as follows:

Consultation:17th November to 8th December 2025
Proposed implementation: 1st September 2026

Responding to the consultation

You can respond to the consultation by writing to:

Dee Seddon
c/o Combe Martin Primary School
Rectory Road
Combe Martin
Ilfracombe
Devon EX34 0DF

Or by emailing: d.seddon@alumnismat.org

Personal data
Should any personal information be submitted through an email or in writing, this will be categorised, and no personal information will be shared both internally and externally.