Martello PAN Consultation

Consultation on proposal to maintain published admission numbers at 210

Turner Schools is undertaking a consultation to seek the views of the stakeholders of Martello Primary about:

• Maintaining the published admission numbers, (PAN) at 210.

By stakeholders, Turner Schools is referring to the parents, students, feeder schools and nurseries, and service providers including the Local Authority of Martello Primary.

The School Admissions Code set out a legal requirement for all schools to hold a public consultation on admission arrangements at least once every 7 years’, even if there have been no changes during that period.

Subject to the feedback from the consultation, and pending approval from the Department for Education, we would anticipate the continuation of PAN to take effect from September 2025.

Background

Martello Primary is a non-selective, one form entry primary school with a published capacity for 210 children, which caters for boys and girls of all abilities form ages 4-11.  The school joined Turner Schools multi-academy trust on 1 January 2017 and has since received and OFSTED, ‘Good’ rating in March 2022.

The school runs a 15 place Special Resource Provision ensuring that children with special educational needs make the best possible progress, this area is strongly coordinated and a wide range of programmes and activities are available, all child centred.

The school currently has the following pupils on roll:

Year R 15

Year 1 28

Year 2 23

Year 3 29

Year 4 14

Year 5 21

Year 6 28

Rationale for no change

• The school only has classroom capacity to admit one form of entry.

• The school only has classroom capacity for 210 pupils i.e. playground and dining hall.

• The school currently runs one form of entry in every year group.

What will change?

With the proposal to maintain the published pupil admission numbers for the school, it is important to state that there will be no fundamental changes.  From a pupil or parent’s perspective, there will be:

• No material change to the admissions criteria by maintaining published admission numbers.

• No change to the current structure of the school with all years currently being one form.

• No change to the curriculum of the school.

• Average form class sizes will not change and will remain at a maximum of 30 pupils.

• No change to leadership, i.e. Ms Natalie Barrow will remain Head Teacher of Martello Primary.

• Staff will continue to be employed by Turner Schools as they are now.

• Martello Primary will continue as part of the Turner Schools Multi-Academy Trust, benefitting from its ambitious educational ethos, and form cost effective central services.

• No change to school hours or term times.

• No change to uniforms.

Consultation

We wish to invite interested parties to take part in this consultation on the proposal.  The consultation will take place for a minimum of 6 weeks between Friday, 8 December 2023 and Thursday, 18 January 2024. 

We will consult with the parents and other stakeholders for Martello Primary including:

• Parents and carers of children between the ages of two and nineteen;

• Other persons in the relevant area who, in the Trust’s opinion, have an interest in the consultation;

• All admission authorities within the relevant area;

• Feeder schools to the academy;

• Partner organisations to the academy.

Your views on any aspect of the proposal will be sent to the Turner Schools Board of Trustees.  All responses received by the end of the consultation period will be carefully considered and will form part of a Business Case submitted to the Department for Education for final decision.

We invite you, therefore, to take part in this consultation.  Comments may be submitted in the following ways:

•  By email to Natalie.coles@turnerschools.com

• By completing an online response form at https://forms.gle/Yw1Fc2Na6GM4Damr9

• In writing via post:  Mrs Natalie Coles, Trust Financial Controller, Martello Primary, Warren Way, Folkestone.  CT19 6DT