We have an ambitious, long-term programme to raise education standards in Central Bedfordshire by ensuring the area has the right schools, in the right places, delivering the best education.
Moving towards a two-tier educational system is part of achieving this.
We remain totally committed to:
- supporting all three-tier schools across Central Bedfordshire to transition to the established Primary and Secondary school (two-tier) model
- investing in school maintenance
- providing more school places where needed, and
- creating specialist provision for children with Special Educational Needs
We are investing £140m in this work over the next few years
We have taken a thorough look at the two-tier and new school place plans against the budget, while considering how many school age children we have in Central Bedfordshire in the coming years.
You may be aware that birth rates are decreasing across the country, with the impact now being seen from the pandemic, while many residents are also tightening their belts and paying more for their bills. We currently forecast our demand for school places for a rolling five-year period, and this will continue to be updated on an annual basis.
Three-tier schools in other areas
In line with our commitment to transition to a primary and secondary school model across Central Bedfordshire, we will also engage earlier with schools in the areas that have yet to begin the process: Harlington; Ampthill and Flitwick and Leighton-Linslade.
This early engagement will help us to understand what will be needed to enable a smooth transition in the future and to work with the school leaders to plan their journeys effectively. It will also help us to prioritise the transition programme based on local insights.
Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)
We are also committed to improving our provision for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and a priority is our work to increase specialist school places, which remains unaffected.
If you would like to know more about the investment we are making in our SEND school places, you can see our Specialist Place Plan, which was recently discussed at the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Schools for the Future
You can view historical information on the programme formerly known as Schools for the Future, below. The previous Schools for the Future website is no longer active.