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Consultation Period

12 October to 3 November 2026.

Proposal

The First Federation Trust is consulting on a proposal to formally increase the capacity of Rockbeare Church of England Primary School from 105 to 140 places.

The increase in the capacity of the school will be enabled through the construction of the new double modular classroom, which replaces an old single modular classroom, and will support the growing demand for school places from within the local area. Devon County Council has provided the capital funding and the Trust are leading on the delivery of this project.

Reasons for the proposal

The proposed increase in places is intended to:

• Meet growing demand for school places within the local area;
• Ensure sufficient places are available for local children;
• Support the long-term sustainability of the school;
• Enable the school to continue providing high-quality education while responding to demographic changes and parental demand.

The school currently has a Published Admission Number (PAN) determined at 15 but agreed informally for the 2025/26 and 2026/27 academic years to admit to 20 in the Reception Class. A PAN of 20 has now been formally determined for the 2027/28 academic year to ensure sufficiency of school places within the local area. The new double modular classroom will support the school’s PAN 20.

Consultation and Decision-making

Rockbeare Church of England Primary School welcomes the support of the local community that it serves. This is an opportunity for parents, family members, staff and the local community who have an interest in the school to respond to the proposal.

The consultation period will run 12 October to 3 November 2026. Responses to this consultation will be considered by the School and Trust who will then decide whether or not to make an application to the Department for Education’s (DfE) South West Regions Group to increase the capacity of the school to 140 places and amend the School’s Funding Agreement.

It is the DfE who will make the final decision on the proposal to increase the capacity of the school. The outcome of this consultation will form part of the significant change application to the DfE.

All responses to the consultation will be considered and will be shared with the school’s leadership team, Board of Directors and Trustees. Responses will also be shared with the Department for Education as the decision-maker, but we will not send individual responses to any specific points made.

How to respond

The Trust welcomes responses on this proposal by the closing date of midnight on 3 November 2026 by:

Emailing: Admin@firstfederation.org.uk please mark your email ‘Rockbeare Increased Capacity Consultation’.

Or by post to:

Rockbeare C of E Primary School, Rockbeare, Exeter, Devon, EX5 2EQ

The Trust Privacy Notice can be found via this weblink: www.firstfederation.org  

Copies of this consultation document and supporting information are available on the school’s website at www.rockbeare-ce-primary.devon.sch.uk