South Molton Community Primary School: Proposal to change the age range

Consultation on a proposal to extend the age range of South Molton Community Primary School

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 Harbour Schools Partnership is consulting on a proposal to change the age range of South Molton Community Primary School from 4-11 to 2-11 years of age.

Background

South Molton Community Primary School established a Governor-run Pre-school for children aged 2-4 years of age in February 2025.  At the time, South Molton Community Primary was a Local Authority maintained school and a Governing Body of a maintained school is able to set up and run pre-school provision as an extended service under the 2002 Education Act.

South Molton Community Primary converted to an Academy School on 1 April 2025 and is now part of The Harbour Schools Partnership and is therefore no-longer a Local Authority maintained school.  An academy school cannot continue to run an extended service Governor-run Pre-School.

The simplest and most effective way to manage the early years provision now that the school is an academy is to extend the age range of the school.

If the age range is extended, there will be no difference in the practical day-to-day arrangements for children and families.  All children in the pre-school provision would be on the role, or admissions register, of the school. Children and families will experience very little change to the service they currently receive.  There will be no change to staffing arrangements.  The financial and administrative arrangements of the early years provision will be easier to manage through the extension of the age range of the school.

Children whose parents meet the free school meal eligibility criteria and attend for the whole day will be entitled to a free school meal. There is no lower age limit. Parents will also be able to purchase a school meal for nursery children.

Parents would still need to make a separate application to Devon County Council for admission into the Reception class.

The Harbour Schools Partnership has a great deal of experience in relation to supporting academy nursery provision across its schools.

Process and Decision-making

The consultation period will run from 12^th May 2025 to 2^nd June 2025. Responses to this consultation will be considered by the School and The Harbour Schools Partnership Trust.

It is the DfE’s South West’s Region Group who will make the final decision on the proposal to change the age range of the school. The DfE will make this decision after considering responses received to the consultation and the application submitted by the Academy Trust. Please note that consultation responses will also therefore be shared with the DfE Southwest Regions Group.

Responding to the consultation

This consultation will run from 12^th May 2025 to 2^nd June 2025.

The Trust welcome responses on this proposal by the closing date of midnight on 2^nd June 2025 by:

Emailing: southmolton@thsp.org.uk

Or by writing to: South Molton Community Primary School, North Road, South Molton, Devon, EX36 3BA

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.

The Trust Privacy Notice can be found via this weblink: https://ventrus.org.uk/Privacy-Notices/