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Public consultationA new Academy for Ramsgate

A proposal for an enlarged school to be created fromThe Ellington & Hereson School and the Marlowe Academy

to become

Augustus Pugin Academy

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Proposal

The Governing Body of The Ellington & Hereson School and Trustees of the Marlowe Academy would like to hear your views on a proposal to combine The Ellington & Hereson School and the Marlowe Academy to create one larger school with a capacity for 1,200 students with the potential to expand to 1,800 students as the secondary student population rises.

The proposed admission number is 200.

It is also proposed to change the age range of the school from 11-16 to11-19 by the addition of a sixth form with a capacity of 200 plus.

The proposed name of the school is the Augustus Pugin Academy.

Statement from the Chair of Governors of The Ellington & HeresonSchool, Tony Carpenter

Combining the resources of two schools in this way will bring significant benefits and allow us to share amenities and good practice across a broader student base. We believe this is an excellent way forward for the students, staff and community.

Statement from the Chair of Governors of the Marlowe Academy, Sir Roger De Haan

I believe that the circumstances are right for this fresh approach that will bring significant benefits to students of the existing schools and their communities. The school will be able to benefit from some superb facilities, including an eight lane athletics track, and it will offer a broader curriculum, a greater wealth of enrichment activities and a stronger sixth form, with greater breadth of provision.

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Statement from Roger Gough, Cabinet Member for Education andHealth Reform, Kent County Council

The Local Authority believes this proposal will deliver the best opportunities for both current and future students.

Across the two campuses the school will provide an exciting and varied curriculum and access to a wider range of amenities, and working with the Coastal Academies Trust will provide the excellent education that secondary pupils in Ramsgate need and deserve.

Statement from Paul Luxmoore, Director, Coastal Academies Trust

The Coastal Academies Trust supports this proposal and is looking forward to working with the new school from September 2015. This will mean that all of the expertise and excellent practice currently used in CAT schools will be available to the school and that CAT will be accountable for its success to both KCC and the DfE.

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Reasons for the proposal

The Ellington & Hereson School has demonstrated strong academic performance since being formed in 2009 but accommodation is limited to 600 students, restricting the potential to grow.

Although some overall progress has been made in improving academic performance since the Marlowe Academy was established in 2005, student numbers have declined, resulting in financial challenges that require a fresh approach.

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A strong financial model will be established for the school, offering security for current student numbers and allowing for the substantial increase in predicted demand for secondary school places by 2018.

Combined, the two school sites will be able to allow students access to a wider, more varied curriculum and access to a greater range of amenities and sports facilities in state of the art premises.

The school will be led by the current Headteacher of The Ellington & Hereson School, Mr Simon Pullen, and will aim to provide an excellent all-round, balanced education for all.

The Coastal Academies Trust has a strong track record of improving standards of education and their committed support for the school will secure a powerful collaborative relationship directly supporting young people in Thanet.

The Proposal – an exciting opportunity for secondary pupils inRamsgate

This document outlines the proposal to form one larger school to provide a broad and inclusive curriculum for Ramsgate young people age 11-19.

The Augustus Pugin Academy would provide education for up to 1,800 students, on two sites.

The school would eventually join the Coastal Academies Trust (CAT) and would have a Local Governing Body to oversee it. CAT has an Executive Principal who would work closely with the Augustus Pugin Academy Headteacher.

For this to happen, there would be:

• a formal closure of the Marlowe Academy on 31st August 2015 and

• the expansion of The Ellington & Hereson School, and its renaming as the Augustus Pugin Academy with effect from 1st September 2015

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Location

The Lower School, Years 7, 8 and 9, would attend the campus in Newlands Lane. The Upper School, Years 10, 11, 12 and 13, would attend the campus in Stirling Way.

During the 2015-16 academic year, Year 11 and Year 13 students will continue at their current site to ensure continuity with their studies as they prepare to take their exams.

Map showing the two sites which are 0.9 miles apart

Background

About The Ellington & Hereson SchoolThe Ellington & Hereson School is an exciting and dynamic community, based on mutual respect, where learners develop the skills to become successful international citizens.The Ellington & Hereson School is a Foundation Trust for boys and girls located in a purpose built new building in Ramsgate.The Ellington & Hereson School was formed in September 2009 when Ellington School for Girls amalgamated with the Hereson School for boys. The school was initially based over the two former school sites, but all students transferred to the new building, designed for 600 students on the former Ellington School site in 2011.

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The Ellington & Hereson School is its own Admissions Authority. The Admissions process is coordinated by Kent County Council. The Governing Body of The Ellington & Hereson School has agreed to convert to an academy with the expected conversion taking place in2016. The school currently offers its students the opportunity to take theIBCP International Baccalaureate CareerProgramme, in partnership withDane Court Grammar School.In October 2012, The Ellington& Hereson School was judged‘Good’ by Ofsted, who said: “the rigorous focus on teaching is driving up improvements."

About the Marlowe AcademyThe Marlowe Academy opened in 2005 asKent’s first City Academy. It was intended to have a predominantly vocational curriculum and as such was a successful school achievingclose to the national average in GCSE or GCSE equivalents. It benefits from an award winning modern building and excellent facilities including a theatre and eight lane athletics track.

The Marlowe Academy is a happy and welcoming place where all students and staff are valued as individuals. It has created a busy and business-like atmosphere where all students can work to the best of their abilities.

The Marlowe Academy sits at the heart of the community it represents and is proud

to provide a warm, professional and ambitious education for the studentswho have chosen to learn there.

Parents are proud of what they do, telling the Marlowe Academy: ‘I am

very happy with what my child is achieving at this school’ and to ‘keep up

the good work.’

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About the Coastal Academies Trust

Coastal Academies Trust (CAT) consists of four schools, Dane Court Grammar School, King Ethelbert School, Hartsdown Academy and Cliftonville Primary School. Each school is an academy and is linked by a single Board of Directors. The Ellington & Hereson School is already an associate member of CAT. The Trust has an excellent record of school improvement.

Permission has also been granted for The Ellington & Hereson School to become an academy, sponsored by CAT. Paul Luxmoore, its Executive Headteacher, is a National Leader of Education, with experience of taking two local schools out of Special Measures within a year. He is currently engaged in supporting another school in a similar position, with every chance of coming out of Special Measures in an even briefer time. He and his colleagues will be free by September2015 to assist and support the proposed school to further improve standards and achieve even better outcomes for students.

Admissions

It is proposed to create a school with a published admission number of200 places per year for students age 11-16, with a sixth form of 200 students.

There will be a separate consultation on admissions.

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Consultation

The Trustees and Governors would like to hear your views on the proposal. Please take time to read this document and let us know what you think.

All your comments will be carefully considered and will be used to develop the proposal and inform the final decision, which will be taken by Roger Gough, KCC Cabinet Member for Education & Health Reform.

You can respond to this consultation by post to:

The Ellington & Hereson SchoolNewlands LaneRamsgate CT12 6RH

Or online via the online consultation accessed by clickin g he re

Or by handing in your response to either The Ellington & Hereson School orMarlowe Academy

The final date for your response to reach us is 27th April 2015

Public notice: 29th April-27th May 2015

Final decision: June 2015

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What are the benefits of the proposed larger school?

To provide an excellent education for Ramsgate young people age 11-19 by providing:

i. a broader more exciting curriculum than two separate smaller schools could offer

ii. stability to the current Ellington & Hereson School, whose small size makes it vulnerable to fluctuations in student numbers or sudden budget pressures

iii. a stable school future for Marlowe Academy students

iv. future school places for the large number of students currently coming through primary school who will soon need a secondary place

v. a stable sixth form with academic and vocational opportunities for students

Frequently asked questions

1. Will The Ellington & Hereson School and the Marlowe Academy teachers and other staff still be at the larger school?We want to maintain continuity of staff wherever possible. Simon Pullen, Headteacher of The Ellington & Hereson School, will be the Headteacher of the school.

2. Will students have to travel between sites?No, lower school students will be based at the Newlands Lane site and the older students at the Stirling Way site.

3. How will my child get to school?They will continue to travel as they do at the moment. Students who are eligible for free travel will continue to receive free travel. When your child moves site in year 10, their eligibility will be reassessed.

4. What about pupils with special educational needs (SEN)?Parents and carers can be reassured that their child will continue to have the same excellent, personal and educational support that they currently enjoy. Please see the Equality Impact Assessment carried out by the Trustees and Governors available on the school website.

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5. Will I have to buy a new uniform for my child?No, a new uniform will be provided at no cost to parents of existing students. Students are helping to design a new uniform. It will be available by the end of August 2015.

6. What are the significant dates in the process of creating the proposedAugustus Pugin Academy?

• For this consultation:the deadline for responses is

27th April 2015

• Public notice:29th April-27th May 2015

• Final decision: June 2015