Issue - meetings

Request for Consultation on Co-Educational Grammar School Places

Meeting: 05/04/2022 - Cabinet (Item 6)

6 Proposals to Change Three Grammar Schools From Single Gender to Co-Educational Provisions PDF 414 KB

Minutes:

Background:

This report outlined the rationale and process for three Medway grammar schools to change their admissions arrangements from single sex to co-educational provisions. It requested Cabinet approval for the Council to consult on the principle of this change and act as a co-ordinator for the process. It also requested in principle Cabinet approval for funding to provide necessary building modifications to ensure appropriate facilities would be available.

The report stated that the gender split for secondary school selective places did not currently match the population and cohorts of pupils coming through the primary school system who would require a place in secondary selective schools in the near future.

As part of a joint ambition with Medway Council to address the inequality, Holcombe Grammar (boys), Fort Pitt grammar (girls), and Chatham Grammar (girls) were proposing to change from single sex to co-educational admissions. This would provide 685 co-educational places in total, with 203 boys’ places and 205 girls’ places at the remaining single sex schools. These changes would give an approximate 50/50 split in boys’ and girls’ places overall.

The report was accompanied by an Exempt Appendix. This set out a proposed Memorandum of Understanding between Medway Council and the relevant schools.

Decision number:	Decision:
54/2022	The Cabinet approved the consultation on the three schools changing from single to mixed sex, to enable the schools to submit applications at the appropriate time to implement the change from 1 September 2024.
55/2022	The Cabinet agreed in principle to funding the appropriate physical changes to the schools to enable a co-educational arrangement subject to costings, as set out in paragraph 8.1 of the report, with the formal decision made when costs are known and reported in the outcomes of consultation report (expected August 2022).
56/2022	The Cabinet approved the Memorandum of Understanding (attached at Exempt Appendix 1) and authorised the Director of People, Children and Adults’ Services to sign the agreement on the Council’s behalf.

Reasons:

By approving the recommendations in section 11 of the report, the Cabinet will be ensuring that the Council meets its statutory duty to ensure sufficient good quality school places are available, and that the appropriate informal and statutory processes have been undertaken.