What is happening with my school?
Your school: Area by area
Schools have been grouped into geographical areas, mirroring Central Bedfordshire’s local planning areas, where there is a greater local understanding of one another’s ambitions for growth.
As of December 2022, there were 82 Central Bedfordshire schools still in a three-tier model of education that need to transition to two-tier.
Changes for the schools in each area will be phased in line with housing growth in Central Bedfordshire, where population data will inform the demand for school places. At present, we aim to complete all the changes to schools by 2035.
Transition to two-tier is happening in these areas:
Formal work has already begun in the following areas (click on each area to find out more about progress in each area):
- Biggleswade area
- Cranfield and Marston area
- Shefford and Stotfold area
- Woburn Sands and surrounding villages
Transition to two-tier is not currently taking place in these areas:
Formal viability and feasibility work is yet to begin in the following areas. A viability study is an early high-level appraisal of whether a school site can support a change to either a primary or a secondary school.
A feasibility study is then a detailed review of the site to provide the intended change. This will only be undertaken if school sites are proven to be viable.
Click on each link below to find out when it is anticipated that work will begin:
- Ampthill and Flitwick area
- Dunstable area
- Harlington area
- Leighton-Linslade area
Programmes that work alongside Schools for the Future
SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities)
Central Bedfordshire Council has established Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) proposals to both improve and create SEND places. The SEND investment will work in parallel with Schools for the Future and will also directly interact with some mainstream schools in the Schools for the Future programme.
New School Places
Work on a transformation project for Sandy Secondary School and the construction of a new secondary school in Houghton Regis called Houstone School has also begun. These are not part of the Schools for the Future programme, as schools in these two areas already operate in the two-tier model of education, but you can find the latest news on these projects at the following links:
- Sandy Secondary School
- Houstone School
Keep up to date
When proposals are developed, or we have more information on your school, we’ll update the web pages for each of the areas above. There are also several other ways in which you can find out when new information is available.
Key programme decisions
In 2018, Central Bedfordshire Council Executive approved the aim to support schools and communities that want to work towards a primary and secondary model, considering that:
- the appropriate resources are in place to do so;
- change is coordinated; and
- the change supports improvements in educational outcomes.
The council will also actively promote that any new schools that will be built will be primary or secondary.
In 2022, Central Bedfordshire Council’s Executive Committee approved changes to the principles and policies of the Schools for the Future programme.
These new principles and policies include:
- support for a target to improve learning outcomes to above the national average at Key Stage 2, Key Stage 4, and Post-16
- consistent, clear, and honest communications via a single, agreed message to stakeholders
- the council no longer makes initial proposals for changes to academies, as we are not the key decision-maker. We will now welcome two-tier proposals from Academy Trusts, which are supported by the DfE
- proposals for primary/secondary conversion will be matched against Central Bedfordshire Council-validated pupil place requirements
- setting out clear value-for-money principles in investing any capital funds into small schools
- Schools for the Future capital investment will not support early years or post-16 proposals
The SEND investment will work in parallel with Schools for the Future and will also directly interact with some mainstream schools in the Schools for the Future programme. It will be managed by the Children’s Services Capital Delivery team.
- Schools for the Future funds will not be available to improve existing school accommodation. Additional accommodation will be provided as stand-alone new build blocks unless site constraints dictate extensions/alterations are required
- a new Design Principles Policy that sets out what can fairly and equitably be funded across the schools still in the three-tier system
- all building improvement works will be funded by Central Bedfordshire Council and managed by Central Bedfordshire Council and its contractors
- new six-point criteria, which the council will consider all conversion proposals against
- comprehensive feasibility studies will inform public consultations on proposed changes
These changes are aimed at providing greater clarity for schools and parents and support a fair and equitable approach across the whole of Central Bedfordshire.
They were made in response to Central Bedfordshire Council adopting its Local Plan in July 2021.