“Cricket Club's success” - Cambourne Information

Planning Permission & Land
Page 4
Towards Cambourne’s Third Primary School
October 2008 Update
Since the last update, I’m sorry to report there has been little progress towards setting up Cambourne’s third primary school. This is disappointing for
everyone, but particularly for parents in Cambourne. The recent and planned activity is as follows:
June 2008 – Cambridgeshire County Council approved the planning application for the school’s temporary accommodation on the site next
to the one proposed for the permanent school;
August 2008 – South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) rejected the outline planning application for the permanent accommodation at
Jeavons Wood;
October 2008 – MCA Developments, in collaboration with the County Council, will submit a revised, full planning application to SCDC for
the permanent accommodation, taking account of the concerns raised in August;
The design plans for the permanent accommodation will be available to the public at a Parish Council meeting soon;
November 2008 – SCDC is expected to meet to determine the outcome of MCA Developments’ application for the additional 950 homes;
If the application for the additional homes is approved, SCDC will begin negotiations with MCA Developments to finalise their financial
contribution for community services, i.e. a Section 106 agreement;
If the Section 106 agreement is completed by February 2009 and MCA Developments then releases the land to the County Council, the
temporary accommodation for the third school can be set up for the start of term in September 2009.
With the ongoing uncertainty over the land, the County Council again must consider contingency plans in case the third school cannot be opened on
the Jeavons Wood site in September 2009.
Comberton Education Trust
The final steps in formalising the establishment of the Comberton Education Trust are being taken. Once the Trust is formed, it can move forward with
establishing a temporary governing body for the third Cambourne primary school and liaising with the County Council and the architects on the detailed
plans for the school. Decisions about the appointment of a headteacher and other members of staff will be made once planning permission and release
of the land have been agreed.
Admissions
Parents are advised not to name the third Cambourne school as one of their two preferences when applying for a school place during this year or for
September 2009. Once there is certainty over the opening of the school, parents will be asked if they wish to express an additional preference for it.
Parents are also advised to consider carefully the implications of only naming one Cambourne school in their application; if the Admissions Team is
unable to allocate a place at that school, it will be unlikely that a place will be allocated at the other Cambourne school.
Parents applying for school places for September 2009 should make sure they understand the new oversubscription criteria being introduced for the
Cambourne schools. Greater priority is being given to siblings and to those who live outside a school’s catchment but within Cambourne, as follows:
For both Monkfield Park and The Vine Inter-Church primary schools, priority will go in order to:
1. Children who are looked after or who have a statement of special educational need;
2. Children with a sibling at the school at the time of admission and who live in the catchment area;
3. Children with a sibling at the school at the time of admission and who live in Cambourne;
4. Children living in the catchment area;
5. Children living in Cambourne who have been unable to gain a place at their catchment area school because of oversubscription;
6. Children living in Cambourne;
7. Children living outside Cambourne who have a sibling at the school at the time of admission;
8. Children living outside Cambourne.
In cases of equal merit, priority will go to children living nearest the school as measured by a straight line.
Applications for reception places in September 2009 must be submitted online or using the paper application form by 5 th December 2008. Offer letters
will be issued to parents on 21 st April 2009. The information booklets for parents will be available online and from primary schools this month.
School Places for Cambourne Children
At Monkfield Park Primary School there are currently places available in years three, four and six. At The Vine Inter Church Primary School there are
places available in years three, four and five, though additional places have been offered, wherever possible, for Cambourne residents in year six as the
school continues to grow to its full capacity.
Where places at the two Cambourne schools are not available, places at nearby alternative schools will be offered. There is a thriving community of
around fifty Cambourne children now attending Hardwick Primary School, which continues to work in partnership with the Cambourne schools and
parents. A small number of places have been offered at other schools, where parents have expressed particular preferences. This includes the nearby
Bourn Primary School.
In response to the many questions that parents have been asking, the Local Authority set up a ‘frequently asked questions’ section on the County Council
website to provide parents with accurate information on a range of issues relating to education provision in Cambourne. The page can be accessed from
www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk. If parents have particular questions that they feel are not addressed on the website, please email them to the address
below.
Fiona Burness, Education Officer, Cambridgeshire County Council,
admissions@cambridgeshire.gov.uk