We have prepared answers to many of the questions that parents and stakeholders may have about the Putting the Learner First project. In addition, all of parents and stakeholders questions that have been answered will be displayed here too. Teachers Q&A can be viewed by following this link.

To make it a little easier to find answers to the type of questions you may have, we have broken them down into the following categories:

• Parents & Stakeholders general questions
• Parents & Stakeholders questions about standards
• Parents & Stakeholders questions about transport issues
• Parents & Stakeholders questions about funding/financial issues
• Parents & Stakeholders questions about catchment areas
• Parents & Stakeholders questions about surplus places
• Parents & Stakeholders questions about school buildings
• Parents & Stakeholders questions about federations
• Parents & Stakeholders safety concerns

We welcome your questions about this project, you can send them to us via our contact us page.

	PARENTS & STAKEHOLDERS GENERAL QUESTIONS ANSWERED
	INDEX OF ABRIDGED QUESTIONS (in date order) Berwick High School - PLF pprogress response to letter"no Choice" no choice Lots on schools, nothing on the schools' neighbours! Academy Catchment Area re-organisation timetable Catchment Area Choice of School Catchment Areas travelling to cramlington high school catchment area for Academy Commitment to Academy or increase in salary and pensions? What provision for Children with SEN in a primary school of 630 pupils? pre-schools. Trust status for some school Partnerships catchment area for plessey 1st chidren Northburn Catchment Area catchment area for the newsham new academy places catchment areas Our daughter is in pre schhol CATCHEMT AREA FOR ACCADEMY New Proposals Plans for school extensions plessey 1st pupils where do we go now? South Beach First School Catchment Areas Northburn Catchment area Burnside opting out of staff protocol Southfield Garden residents Blyth Consultation Feedback Staff recruitment new proposals for plessy 1st Cramlington High School Update on SOC decision Selling our kids Morpeth Schools What secondary school is my daughter likely to go to? Cragside CofE First School Submission of Forms for Middle School in 2007 Information on Blyth Information for Blyth CHANGE OVER DATES FOR ASTLEY HIGH SCHOOL which schools are going to close? The future for Cragside Fist School mrs heather johnson berwick partnership dates Information on Blyth Proposals 2 million pounds? Reg Vardy Lessons Learned? KS2 Results - Can they be trusted? where will my child go? Those who have no Christian Faith Religious ethos of the ESF Blyth Academy Burnside Childcare Facilities Religious ethos of the proposed Blyth Academy Why is BCC Croftway's catchment School? Are you happy with Morpeth County Council Getting on with it What about Berwick. How can the Academy for Blyth be excluded from PLF consultation? Eastlea moving to Burnside site Consultation on the Academy School for Blyth Who will be chairing the meetings? Information about Cramlington High School Is cramlingon Consultation being given fair treatment? PLF Newsletter dated May 2006 What will happen to the school sites CATHOLIC SCHOOLS PLF EFFECTING CATHOLIC SCHOOLS further update on cramlington Question- up dates and relevance list of schools update on cramlington Sale of School Sites timescale catholic partnership catholic schools- transport transport costs NEW HIGH SCHOOL BLYTH TRANSPORT letter recently sent What will happen to Middle Schools in Ashington? one and a half form entries Envirnmental Report for Cramlington PLF Newsletter re Cramlington PLF Newsletter regarding Cramlington demolishing buildings Funding for Cramlington Progress what do head and deputy headteachers think of the changes? Church of England Schools in Alnwick and Morpeth Partnerships Stage Two Step One Alnwick Partnership Surplus place - terminology Comparing Standards Funding for PLF catholic schools Has the election outcome changed anything? schools in cramlington homerton college/NFER research on pupil transfer Assurances during transition Putting the Learner First Questionaire Surplus places model 2006 What is the cost of New Technology? taking your child out of school during term for holidays? junior highs How does a 13-19 high school become an 11-19 secondary school? How does a middle school convert to becoming a junior high school (years 7, 8, and 9)? catholic schools What happens to school staff when a school closes? Justification for the specific choices made in each partnership? Parents Forum which would be truly representative What will happen to all the night classes ? Impact of these changes on our local community Why so long for Hexham ? PLF can we pull it off ? When could changes to school organisation be implemented? Where is the evidence that one transfer is preferable to two What effect will these changes have on class sizes? In a County with so many Faith Schools, why is there no mention of Church ? What is the relevance of the SOC? What provision is there for children with speech and language difficulties? What is the difference between a junior learning centre and a junior high? What are school partnerships? What are Extended Schools and Learning Campuses/Villages? What does local provision for 11-13/14 year olds mean? How does a first school convert to becoming a primary school? What are the formal processes for schools to change? Nothing wrong with the current system DETAILED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS As we complete yet another school year under the uncertainty of Putting the Learner First, I would greatly value, as Chairman of Governors, an update on progress towards the rebuilding of Berwick upon Tweed Community High School. We are continually faced with spending an increasing proportion of our capital funding on holding the school together some of which is very expensive and it is difficult, without a clearer knowledge of the rebuild programme, to plan for the future. We feel that our capital spending should be concentrated on improving teaching and achievement but, increasingly, we are having to patch up our buildings and essential services such as heating boilers etc. Our Answer: Firstly, we understand the difficulties being faced by schools across the county in having to maintain poor buildings on an ongoing basis. Improvement of our school building stock is of great concern to us and one of the main drivers behind the Putting the Learner First programme. However, such a massive programme of change must necessarily be extended over time due to the considerable funding required. As outlined in the Executive Director of Children's Services report of April 2005, the indicative timetable for the roll-out of PLF shows proposed reorganisation for Berwick Partnership in 2012. This would mean possible consultation on proposals in around 2010. However, the authority would be unlikely to carry out consultation on proposals unless a funding source was in place. While we cannot provide you with a more specific timeframe at this moment, we can assure you that the authority is working constantly to identify suitable funding sources in order to address, amongst other things, the buildings issues being faced by partnerships.    yes i definately have major concerns about the proposed academy i do not agree with any of their religious or ethical teachings and i feel the council are wasting money which could be used in improving blyth community college. but my question was why is wensleydale middle school closing and the academy opening a year earlier than the other schools? please answer this question. Our Answer: Hi If the proposals are given final approval by the County Council Executive, Wensleydale Middle School would actually close to the original planned timetable for Blyth reorganisation; the other 3 middle schools would close a year later than originally planned due to Hi again If the proposals are given final approval, Wensleydale Middle School would in fact close in line with the original timetable. To allow for the further consultation to take place in March/April, the proposed timetable for implementation was extended by a year. However, the proposed Academy would still be able to be opened in September 2009 and therefore that is why Wensleydale Middle School would still close in August 2009.    thanks for answering my previous question your site has been helpful but i still can not understand why wensleydale will close a year earlier than the other middle shools, this is realy forcing myself and my child into attending the academy in2009, the other options are out of the question there is NO CHOICE. Our Answer: Hi I assume you mean that there is no choice because you do not wish to take you child away from his/her peer group. Clearly, you have concerns about the proposed Academy. Perhaps if you let us know what they are, we could assist. However, I would suggest that the best way to have your concerns answered would be to visit the King's Academy in Middlesbrough. If you think that a visit may be helpful, let us know and we will assist in arranging one for you.    I have spent some time looking around you site, and i find nothing to help me. We live next door to a new school that has been built, in preparation for the change to the 2-tier system. This has left us with serious parking problems, verbal abuse from parents, and having to reorganise our lives to avoid the school run to the new school, simply because no provision was made for the extra traffic caused by the new school. Could you please let me know if this has even been considered by yourselves, and what you suggest i, and all those others that will live near these new sites, should do about the parking? Our Answer: Hi I have forwarded your query to our Highways Development Control Manager who will contact you shortly.    Where is the map on the website showing the latest catchment area for the secondary academy in Blyth Our Answer: Look in 'Documents',then 'click here to view Blyth PLF Documentation', then scroll down until you see the header 'Maps Model I'. The catchment area for the Academy is shown in the map named 'primsec'.    i cannot find a timetable for reorganisation of 3 to 2 tier my interest is in ponteland and berwick pyramids what is the planned timescale for these areas and where can i find the detailed info on this site? Our Answer: Hi At the moment, there is only an indicative timetable relating to proposals for reorganisation of partnerships beyond the South East corner of the County. This indicative timetable is cost-related and can be found in the report to the County Council of 11th April 2005. You'll find this on the 'Documents' page of this website, under 'General Information' and then scroll through. The information is listed under Appendix 8b. However, the indicative timetable for Berwick Partnership is September 2012 if proposals were agreed (with consultation taking place around 2 years before that), while for Ponteland it is September 2013. All proposals are subject to consultation and availability of funding.    The map on your website indicates that the vast majority of The Avenues and Solingen Estate are outside of the secondary academy's catchment area.Is this basically right?Just answer yes or no please if possible because when I attempted to get an answer previously you were very expansive but did not actually answer the question Our Answer: Hi 'The Avenues' area is in the proposed Academy catchment, the Solingen Estate is not.    Our Children currently attend Croftway Blyth.Under the new proposals would we still be able to apply for them to go to what will be Astley Secondary School as their older sister did when transferring from Wensleydale Middle to Astley High School? Our Answer: Parents are free to apply for a place for their child at any school. However, if the school of choice is not the child's catchment school, the school will only be able to offer a place if they have one available after all catchment requests have been satisfied.    You have mentioned elsewhere that the catchment area for the academy was decided after consultation.Can I ask did you only take consultation from the residents of South Beach and the Emmanuel Foundation into account ?It would appear that the catchment area mysteriously excludes The Avenues which anyway you look at it should be in the catchment area for the academy not to mention Solingen Estate,Matthew Road Wensleydale Terrace area.Does the Emmanuel Foundation only want children from estates with expensive housing and no council estate kids?I thought they were supposed to raise standards in deprived areas not create a situation where if you can afford an expensive house you can go to the academy. This I'm afraid is private education by the back door but don't think you are fooling anyone.(A Labour Council you should be ashamed) Our Answer: Hi Proposed catchments for Blyth Community College (BCC) and the proposed Academy were drawn up prior to the consultation that took place with the Blyth Partnership in the Autumn Term 2006. Following this consultation, there was a significant amount from feedback from parents living in the 'Avenues' that they should be included in the proposed Academy catchment area. The catchment areas for BCC and the proposed Academy were therefore changed to include the 'Avenues' area of the proposed Croftway primary school catchment. The proposed Academy catchment area also includes the proposed New Delaval Primary school catchment and part of the proposed Newsham Primary catchment area, both of which also include areas of high deprivation.    Hi, Please could you advise me if there are plans to start a school bus from the Northburn area of Cramlington when the schools move to 2 tier. As there are understandable concerns from Southfield Garden residents regarding traffic congestion and pollution that the added cars will produce this seems to be the obvious answer. Thanks. Our Answer: Hi Currently, the X2 and X4 bus services run between the Northburn area and Cramlington High School. Children living within 3 miles of the High School are entitled to half-fare after the age of 14.    My daugther attends Croftway First in reception year. We live in Hedley Avenue, Blyth, so will she be in the catchment area for the Academy? Our Answer: Hi Under the current proposals, your address would fall within the catchment area for Blyth Community College.    It should be remembered that the senior staff in the proposed new and larger schools can expect a substantial increase in their personal incomes and subsequent pensions. Should then their views be allowed the credence which they have been given? This seems to be especially true in the case of the primary element of the Blyth Academy? Our Answer: Hi All staff who would be affected by any proposals for school reorganisation have a statutory right to be consulted on such proposals. As education professionals, it is right that their views are given as much credence as those of any other consultee.    re: Primary academy, South Beach. How can vulnerable and/or children with special educational needs be adequately protected and nurtured in a primary school of 630 pupils? Such children are more likely to thrive within a small community where older children can care for and protect them. It will be impossible for staff to do justice to the general welfare of these children. Our Answer: There is no evidence to demonstrate that small schools provide better nurture and protection for vulnerable/SEN pupils. South Beach had 305 pupils when OFSTED (November 2005) stated “This is a very large school of its type. The proportion of those with more complex learning needs is higher than most schools. Personal development is outstanding because of excellent care and guidance. They (ie: children) willingly take responsibility and care for others. Careful guidance and very effective child protection procedures ensure children rightly feel safe and secure. In all its dealings the school is highly assiduous in the way that it removes barriers to learning.” Conversely some small schools have been judged by OFSTED to offer unsatisfactory nurture and support to vulnerable pupils. In other words size is not the crucial factor, rather what happens in the school. Should PLF proposals be agreed, the Primary Academy will be organised in smaller learning and support ‘families’ within the larger school. The Primary element of the Academy will draw on the practice and recognised quality of provision of the current South Beach First School. All staff will of course, engage in the necessary induction procedures which were also highly commended by OFSTED. Moreover, evidence suggests vulnerable pupils are most at risk from set backs following transition from one phase to another. The all age Academy will address this issue and benefit all pupils and, in particular, the vulnerable.    i am a nuresery nurse working at plessey road pre-school and i would like to know if the children in our care has been concidered when calculating the number of children in the school. we currently have 21 children attending the group with more starting after easter, have these children been over looked are have you already included them into your calculation for if the school closes? or would it be to their best interest for us to find new premises? Our Answer: Hi Please see your later question.    Ashington has announced it is pushing ahead to remove itself from the 2 vs 3 tier debate by going it alone with Trust status for the whole Partnership from 0-19 years. Could this route be used for Alnwick Partnership who would also like to move ahead to get a new High School separate from PLF? Our Answer: Hi Some schools within the ash partnership are currently consulting on the adoption of trust status and federation arrangements. The council is working with the partnership to understand how this could address the issues of standards, surplus place and building condition. It should be pointed out that trust status does not bring any linked capital funding. Under the arrangements set out in the 2006 education and inspections act any school, will be able to seek trust status.    i understand you have changed the catchment area's from last consultations but why should my child have to catch buses to go to bcc when he could walk to the accademy what is wrong with the old catchment areas for blyth when there was two high schools you would have went to a school nearest to where you lived!! why is only half of croftway children is in the catchment for the accanemy? is this really fare that half will miss out on the chance to goto the accademy with there school friends Our Answer: Hi The changes to the proposed catchment areas for BCC and the proposed Academy have been made as a result of feedback from consultees during the Autumn Term. While I understand your argument that you live closer to the proposed academy, the catchment lines have to be drawn somewhere and inevitably we are not going to be able to satisfy everyone. However, parents are still able to apply to any school of their choice. If a school is oversubscribed, then the Admissions Policy would come into play; one of the criteria is living distance from the school.    There's a response to my previous question regarding Northburn's catchment area on your webpage. It says that details of the catchment have been sent to me but I don't know which email address I used and as I haven't received it, I assume it's been blocked as a possible spam mail. Would you mind resending the information to the following email address please? Our Answer: Hi I've e-mailed the information again    we live in carlton ave newsham could you please let me know which school my year 3 son will go to after leaving newsham first school.I understand that he will have to go to a middle school for 1 year but which secondary school will be our catchment school Our Answer: Hi Your son would transfer to Delaval Middle School in September 2008 in his Year 5. According to your address, you actually live in the catchment area of the proposed Academy. Therefore, you would have the choice of either applying for a place at the Academy to start in September 2009 (when your son is in Year 6) or he could remain in Delaval Middle another year, and then you could apply for a place for him to start in September 2010 (when he would be in Year 7). However, if the Academy would be your preferred secondary school, you need to bear in mind that when it opens in September 2009, all 180 places would be available (priority being given to children living in its catchment area). Therefore, if you were not to apply for a place for your son to start in September 2009, there is a possibility that there may not be a place available for him in September 2010 (as these may already have been taken up the year before). If the Academy would not be your preferred secondary school, then your son would remain at Middle School for two years and then you would have to apply to the secondary schools(s) of your choice.    My son will be moving up into Wensleydale in september 07 with the intention to move to the new academy if an when it is built. My daughter is currently attending year 2 Plessey 1st and due to its closure and i am considering moving her to coftway which i believe is not the catchment school for the new academy. If my son is already attending the academy will my daughter automatically be offered a place if croftway is not in the catchment Our Answer: Hi Under the current proposals, Croftway First School (and Croftway Primary as it would be) would take part of the Plessey Road catchment from September 2008, and South Beach would take the other part. Depending on where you live, your daughter would have a guaranteed place at either Croftway or South Beach. (I can confirm which catchment you would fall into if you wanted to release your address). If you send your daughter to Croftway, and you live within that part of its catchment that falls into the proposed Academy catchment area, then your daughter would have priority for a place at the Academy (after Looked after Children and SEN children). However, if your daughter attends Croftway and you live within that part of its catchment that falls within the Blyth Community College catchment, your daughter would only obtain a place at the proposed Academy through one of two routes. The first route would be if the school was undersubscribed, then places would be allocated to any applicants. The second route is via the Admissions Policy i.e.if there are more applications than there are places available (oversubscribed). The Academy would follow the general Northumberland Admissions policy, which places Looked after Children, Special Needs and then children living in the catchment area as priorities. Children who obtain a place at the Primary Element of the Academy retain that place through to the Secondary Element and do not have to apply again.    what model should I be looking at for the catchment areas, model 1, model g or model c? Also, I would like to know, what model of catchment areas should I be looking at for my daughter who is in Plessey and will be moving up to middle school in sept 2008? Our Answer: Hi The current proposals are based on Model I. Under the proposals, Plessey Road would close in September 2008, and the catchment area would be divided between Croftway and South Beach. As your child would be transferring to Middle School at this point anyway, she would not be affected by the closure. However, it should be noted that children transferring to Wensleydale Middle School in September 2008, would transfer to the proposed Academy as Year 6 in September 2009 along with Years 7 and 8. Year 9 pupils would have to apply for a place at the Academy, Blyth Community College or any other High School of choice in line with standard admissions procedures.    Our daughter is currently attending Plessey Road First School's pre school, she turns 3 in April 2007 and is registerd to then attend Plessey Rd 1st School, if the change in school's happens what happens with our daughter? Will we have to now put her name down for another school, or will this happen automaticaly and which school will she be then going to? Our Answer: Hi Plessey Road First School is proposed for closure in August 2008. Your daughter would be due to enter Reception in September 2008. Therefore, you would have to apply for a place for your daughter at one of the proposed primary schools. Plessey Road catchment would be divided between the proposed Croftway Catchment area and the proposed primary element of the Academy (currently South Beach). As I don't have your address, I can't tell you which school catchment you would fall into. For information, part of the proposed Croftway catchment area falls into the Academy catchment and part of it falls into Blyth Community College. Therefore, if your child were to attend the proposed Croftway Primary School, you would have to apply for a place for her at either BCC or the Academy at the appropriate time. However, if you were to apply to the proposed Primary Element of the Academy, and were successful, you would not need to apply for a place at the Secondary Element, as it would be one school. Therefore, theoretically, if a child has a place at age 3 in the nursery at the Primary Element of the Academy, they then retain that place until age 18. Alternatively, you are free to apply to any other first or primary school of your choice, although you would not be guarenteed a place in the same way as you would for your catchment school. Hope this helps. If you want to release your address, I could confirm which catchment area you would fall into.    OKI HAVE NOW READ YOUR NEW LEAFLET AND BEEN ON THE WEB SITE FOR OVER 45 MINS TRIYING TO FIND THE CATCHMENT AREA FOR THE ACCADEMY I CAN CLEARLY SEE YOU HAVE NOW ENSURED YOU GET THE SOUTH BEACH VOTE!! BUT WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF US I CANNOT SEE WHERE THE REVISED CATCHMENT AREAS ARE. I CAN SEE MY CHILD IS STILL IN THE NEWSHAM PRIMARY SCHOOL LIVING IN ROTHBURY AVENUE NEWSHAM FARM SO WHAT HAPPENS WILL MY CHILD STILL BE IN THE ACCADEMY CATCHMENT AREA AS ORIGIONALLY PROPOSED? I HAVE SUPPORTED THE IDEA AND ATTENDED MEETINGS BUT AM NOW CONCERNED I HAVE SUPPORTED THE GOAL AND THE GOAL POSTS HAVE CHANGED!! ALSO YOU MAKE REFERENCE TO THE COUNCILS COMMENTS TO THE EMMANUEL COLLEGE BUT WHAT IS THE OTHER OPTIONS NO INFORMATION IM NOW MORE CONFUSSED THAN EVER!! ARE EMMANUEL COLLEGE STILL IN THE RUNNING OR HAVE YOU RULED THEM OUT? WILL MY SON STILL GO TO THE SECONDARY ACCADEMY AFTER NEWSHAM FIRST SCHOOL? Our Answer: Hello Apologies if the new proposals have caused confusion. According to you address, unfortunately this does now lie outside of the proposed Academy Catchment area. However, this does not preclude you from applying for a place for your child at the Academy. The Admissions arrangements for the Academy will be the same as for other schools in Northumberland, i.e. if a school is oversubscribed, places would be allocated to those children living in the catchment area in the first instance, and if there are any places remaining these would be allocated on how far the child lives from the school. The Academy is proposed to open in September 2009. Therefore, applications for children who would be in Years 6, 7, 8 or 9 in September 2009 must be made by around October 2008. To confirm, Emmanuel Schools Foundation are still the proposed sponsor of the Academy in Blyth. I will also forward your question to my colleague for inclusion in the consultation responses.    My daughter is in year 3 at South Beach First School. If I am reading the new proposals correctly, she will transfer to Wensleydale Middle School as usual but for only one year and will then move on to the new academy in Sept '09 as a one off early intake to secondary school. Therefore we have no option of applying for a place at Astley as then it would then mean 4 new schools in 4 years instead of 3 new schools in 3 years as it will be. Two tier is meant to cut down on disruptive school moves but this option puts my child through just as many changes in a much shorter space of time and also restricts our options. This is extremely unfair for the 'transitional' years, especially hers. Our Answer: Hi You are right that your child would have to undergo a second school move within 12months and we appreciate that this could be disruptive. However, the majority of staff at Wensleydale MS would also be moving across to the Academy at exactly the same time, and your child would also be with all of her school friends. Therefore, while the building may change, the faces around her would not and this would hopefully ease her transition. Additionally, there would only be 4 Year Groups at the Academy, again all children whom she would know from Wensleydale Middle. All staff would be working extremely hard to ensure that pupils are affected as little as possible. As for parental choice, you would still have the opportunity to apply for a place for your daughter at another middle school rather than Wensleydale, perhaps within the Seaton Valley partnership in order to be in a position to secure a place at Astley, or to Bebside, or Tynedale which are proposed to close in August 2010. Obviously, there are risks involved in this, perhaps mostly around taking your child from her peer group.    Hi Are the plans for the school changes in Cramlington available to view online? Our Answer: Hi The plans available at the Pre-Planning Exhibition in October 2006 for primary and January 2007 for the Secondary school were not been published. However, we will look into having them published and we will update you.    The new proposals are all for keeping south beach school in south beach great for those that live in south beach has no thought gone into those with children at plessey 1st school what's happening to our children? we will have no choice but to travel by car to "south beach" great!! no walking to school now .plus where is the catchment area for the children from plessey 1st now ? it's unclear where it is postcode is ne24 3ba. Our Answer: Hi The Plessey Road catchment area has been divided between the proposed Croftway Primary and the proposed Primary element (currently South Beach First School). However, you are free to apply for places to any proposed primary school for your child, and providing they have spare places once all of their catchment requests have been satisfied, they would offer a place. With regard to NE24 3BA, this would fall in the proposed Croftway Primary catchment.    How can the council even propose a "technical" closure of South Beach First School, and then re-open it as a Primary school run by the acadamey? Why should our children be forced to move out of the current school they love to make way for academy students? Our Answer: Hi Under the proposals, all pupils currently in South Beach First School would be transferred automatically to the Primary element of the Academy. Parents would not need to re-apply for a place for their child(ren. Thereafter, places would be allocated in line with the catchment area of the school and the admissions policy.    I submitted a question a couple of weeks ago about the new catchment area for Northburn School but it hasn't been answered yet. Has it been read? Thanks. Our Answer: Hi We will get back to you in the next day or so with a response    Could you let me know exactly which areas will fall into the catchment for Northburn in September 2007? The plans and documents only mention East Hartford but plan drawings show Nelson Village too. I might have misread the documents but the pupil numbers only appear to be increasing by about 60 which is the approximate number of year 4 pupils who will stay on as the new year 5. Do the figures include pupils from the additional catchment areas? Our Answer: Hi I have now sent you a list of streets falling into the various catchments in Northburn.    I asked an earlier question which hasn't been answered or displayed regarding Cramlington first schools opting out of the promised stafing protocol.Burnside are advertising nationally for one of their posts seehttp://www.sector1.net/jobsearch/jobview.asp?jobid=140405&stats=1&catid=&keyword=teacher&displaycat=false&search=&location=&salary=&option=&school=&level=&careers=&searchref=&iv=&start=11&orgid=&sort=job&viewrefer=searchresults.asp Does this mean the protocol has broken down reneging on promises to select teachers from within Partnership? Our Answer: See your earlier question now    As a resident of Southfield Gardens and given the proposed increase in Cramlington High School pupil numbers in what forum should residents raise issues regarding extra pedestrian and vehicle traffic. A number of properties in lodsworth drive border paths to the school and the increase in noise and pedestrian traffic will be noticable as many children are dropped off in Barnes Park and walk through to the high school. Our Answer: Hi Any objections or concerns regarding the plans for the changes to Cramlington High School should be lodged at the Planning and Regulation Committee. The next meeting is on Tuesday, 6 February 2007 at 10.30 a.m. in the Council Chamber, County Hall, Morpeth. For a list of membership of the committee, please see the attached link http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/drftp/10686.asp    Statutory Consultation in Blyth officially finished on 15th December when do you anticipate the report back and your draft proposals being made public? Discussions still seem to be going on within the Partnership beyond the cut off date is this because the consultation has been extended? Our Answer: Please refer to the answer given to the question 'new proposals for plessy 1st'in this section.    Is it true that some First Schools have opted out of your staffing protocol and are not recruiting staff from within the Partnership for when they become Primaries? How does this affect the rights of at risk staff? How is this in the best interests of the children when we were told there would be continuity with staffing? Our Answer: Hi It is true that one first school in Cramlington Partnership has decided not to follow the staffing protocol in relation to one post, a new post of Deputy Headteacher. Children's Services Officers, relevant unions and the other schools in the partnership are extremely concerned by this unilateral action. The Executive Director of Children's Services has met with the Chair of Governors of the school in question to discuss this breach of the Staffing Protocol, but unfortunately was unable to persuade them not to renege on their obligations under the protocol. However, the Governing Body has agreed to consider 'at risk' staff alongside any applications they receive from their external advertisement for this post.    mr bell the head of plessy 1st informed parents that the latest news was plessy 1st is proposed to move into croftway and croftway into wensledale school and that this was a done deal!!! how true is this? if so is south beach no longer moving to wensledale?why can't parents just have the truth then we can choose the best option for our children out of this mess instead of being left in the dark until the last minute !!!! Our Answer: Hi The outcome of consultation in Blyth is still being evaluated. As reported at the consultation meetings, there will be one of three options taken forward: these are 1)Recommend the current model for reorganisation as it stands to Executive 2) Reconsult on the basis of the outcomes of consultation 3) Stop the process Until one of these options is verified as the way forward, it would be inappropriate to offer any further comment at this point.    Hi, For Cramlington on your website it states that First schools change to Primary status in September 2007 yet Cramlington High School wont change to Cramlington Secondary school until September 2009. What happens to our daughter who is currently in year 5 and is supposed to transfer in September 2008 to the High School. Will any necessary building work be completed so that she can start her Secondary school education without disruption. And why is there a gap of 2 years between the start and completion of the project. Thankyou for your reply. Our Answer: Hi In fact, the primary changeover is due to take place in September 2007 and the secondary changeover in 2008 - there appears to be a mistake on one part of the website that will be rectified. Your daughter will move into Year 6 in her current Middle School in the academic year 2007/08 along with Years 7 and 8. In September 2008, she will transfer as the new Year 7 to the Secondary School along with the new Years 8 and 9. Building work is on schedule to be completed for the arrival of the new Years 7, 8 and 9 intake in September 2008.    The web site is now almost a week out of date and some people may be forgiven for thinking they can still influence decisions when in fact they have been made. How come the press release hasn't at least been posted in PLF area? Our Answer: Thanks for highlighting this. We'll update as soon as possible. We've been rather busy moving things forward with Cramlington and this was an oversight. However, newsletters have been sent out to all staff and parents updating them on the SOC decision.    The Emmanuel Foundation will appoint the majority of the governing body of the proposed academy. Do you realise that you are selling our impressionable teenagers to the highest bidder? If a fundamentalist Muslim group or the BNP put up the money would they be welcomed with such open arms? Our Answer: Hi The Emmanuel Schools Foundation (ESF)was identified by the DfES as a suitable sponsor for an Academy in Blyth due to their excellent track record with the other schools under their management in areas with similar problems to those in the town. We understand that the education of our children is an emotive subject, and that there are strongly held views both for and against schools with a moral basis founded on faith, in this case core Christian values. If you attended the meeting ran by ESF in Blyth on 20th November, you would have heard them state categorically that while their schools have core values based on Christian principles, they are not 'faith' schools, i.e. priority is not given to practising members of a specific religion in order to attend the school - pupils need simply to live in the catchment area . You would have heard how the beliefs and faiths of their pupils reflect our society, some are practising members of an organised religion, whilst others have no faith. This also applies to their staff. You would also have heard how pupils are taught and encouraged to think for themselves.    My daughter has just started year 5 at Chantry Middle, can you please tell me when schools in the Morpeth area are due to change? We currently live outside the catchement area for the morpeth schools, what effect will this have on her at the changeover ? Our Answer: Hi Consultation on proposals for reorganisation of the Morpeth Partnership is not planned to take place until around 2013/14 with possible implementation of the proposals around 2015/16. However, if funding streams come on line before this date, it is possible that this could happen sooner. As it stands, your daughter would have moved on to her high school well before any of the proposals would take effect.    I currently live in Hedley Ave and I'm confused about what secondary school my daughter would go to. Will it be BCC or the new academy? Our Answer: Hi Your street lies within the catchment area for Croftway First School and under the proposals, children living within the Croftway catchment area would feed into Blyth Community College. However, consultation is still continuing on these proposals and it is possible that there may be some adjustments to the proposed model for reorganisation in Blyth as a result of feedback from parents and others.    Will Cragside school stay a Church of England school when it is changed to a Primary School, and maintain its faith. Our Answer: Cragside C of E First School would become Cragside C of E Primary School if the proposals for reorganisation to a two-tier, primary/secondary structure of education are implemented. In fact, a great part of the rationale for proposing that Cragside should become a 2 Form Entry Primary school under reorganisation is to extend the provision for parents who would want their children educated in a faith school.    My daughter is due to move to the 'current structure' of middle school in September 2007. Why did we still have to complete the forms giving our choice of middle schools, if they are not going to be moving to middle schools next year? I assume that my child will stay in her current school and will not be affected by the intake of increased number of children due to widened catchment areas. Our Answer: The reason you have been asked to fill in the forms this year is that while the County Council has agreed on the preferred model for reorganisation of the Cramlington Partnership, it is the School Organisation Committee who will make the final decision on whether or not the proposals will be implemented. They are not due to meet until around mid-December. Therefore, until a final decision has been made, its 'business as usual' and therefore that is why you have been asked to complete the forms for middle school. please type answer here    Thank you for up dating the web site and correcting the way the info is displayed. I can assure you Blyth was note featured at he time I wrote or I wouldn't have raised the matter. Our Answer: For information, we are working on re-vamping the website to make it more user-friendly and accessible. We hope to be able to launch the changes in the not too distant future.    Could you please advise why the information regarding Blyth Partnership is not featured in your dates and news headers in the same way as Cramlington?Some significant dates are now coming up for the public and it would be easy to overlook them. Our Answer: Hi All school meetings coming up in the Blyth Partnership are published on the Putting the Learner website on both Documents page, Dates page and Consultation Page. The Documents page also provides all of the background information and data referenced in the Consultation Document. Could you elaborate on what significant dates you feel have not been published?    My daughter is currently in Year 3 at South Beach First School and will be due to start at one of the new Secondary schools in Sept. 2010. At the moment we would have the option to at least request a place at Astley High when the time came for her to leave Wensleydale Middle. With regards to the planned timings for changes in the Seaton Deleval area would this option still be open to us? Our Answer: There is nothing to stop parents from applying for places to whatever school they choose and providing all demand for places in the preferred school's Catchment Area have been satisfied, and a place was available, then it is likely that a place would be offered. Clearly, because of the proposed timetable for the implementation of the proposals for schools in Blyth, you will need to think carefully about the effect of moving your daughter to a new school without her peer group against the proposal to implement 11-18 secondary education in Blyth. I would recommend that you try to attend the meetings at South Beach First School on 31st October at 7.00 p.m., and if you can attend the meeting on the ACademy on 20th November at the Phoenix Theatre in Blyth.    Please could you tell me which first schools are going to close in the West of Northumberland? I am looking into running a private day nursery on the gorunds ofShaftoe Trust First school and wondered where i would stand if this school was to close? Our Answer: Hi At the moment, the indicative timetable for the proposed reorganisation of the Haydon Bridge partnership is 2018/19 therefore the following proposals are likely to change. However, I must stress that this is highly likely to be subject to change, for instance if funding to undertake the proposed reorganisation came on stream at an earlier date. The current outline proposals for this Shaftoe Trust First School are that it would combine with Whitfield CofE FirstsChool to form one school but remain on their respective sites,and that this new school federates with Allendale Firs School.    What are the final proposals for the Cragside first scool site, is it moving to Southlands middle to become a primary school on that site and will it retain it;s school name. If it moves what are the plans for the Cragside school land? Our Answer: Hi The County Council's preferred model and the proposals to be considered by the SChool Organisation Committee in December are that Cragside C of E First SChool should become a primary school on the site of the current Southlands Middle School. Under proposals, Cragside would retain its name, principles and ethos and staff. At the moment, the Cragside school land is in the process of being transferred into the ownership of the Church of England therefore any enquiries as to the future use of the land should be directed to them.    my child is due to start school sept 2008 at plessy 1st one proposed to close aug 2008 when it states pupils will transfer to other schools in blyth what schools ? will parents be given a choice? or will the children just be shoved anywhere there is space for them or do you try to put them down on another school list now? plus couldn't find proposed catchment area maps on website Our Answer: Hello Mrs Johnson Under the proposals for Blyth reorganisation, children from Plessey Road would fall into the catchment areas of either Croftway or South Beach, depending on where they reside. However, parents will be available to apply to any school of their choice, and will be offered a place if one is available after all other demand for places in that school's catchment area has been satisfied. Catchment area maps are available on the the PLF website on the 'Documents' page in the section 'PLF: Next Steps in the Consultation Process for the Blyth Partnership'.    when is the end of middle schools now likely to happen here in the berwick partnership Our Answer: Hi At the moment, proposals for the reorganisation of the Berwick Partnership would be put forward for consultation around 2010/11 with the proposed implementation date of around 2012/13. However, this is dependent on funding streams.    This week you have used the News Post Leader to distribute information to households regarding the changes for Blyth. Could you please advise what the cost has been for this four page wrap including PR costs, production and distribution- internally and externally- and why the same information isn't available via the web site? Our Answer: Hi The same information is available on the website on the 'Documents' page under 'PLF: Statutory Consultation in Blyth 26th September - 15th December 2006'. Total costs for the wraparound are not yet available.    The proposed academy in Blyth will cost 26.5 million pounds to build. The state (we) will pay 24.5 million and then continue to pay for the running of it. The sponsor, Reg Vardy, will only pay 2 million pounds. Is it right he will then have so much influence on the academies running? Our Answer: For information, the following is taken from the DfES' Standards Site at http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/academies/what_are_academies/sponsorship/?version=1 'Academy Sponsorship Sponsorship for the Academy programme may come from a single individual or organisation or a group of like-minded people acting as a consortium. Sponsors can be corporate bodies (such as companies) or individuals. They may come from business, faith groups or the voluntary sector. Whilst some of our current sponsors have extensive experience in running schools, others have engaged educational advisors to support them. What all our sponsors have in common is a commitment to the highest standard of education for all pupils. Working with other partners, sponsors will help to ensure that the school buildings are properly designed and equipped for education in the 21st Century. Sponsors will make a significant contribution to the costs of the new or refurbished school building and the Government will provide the balance. Sponsors will also make decisions about the Academy's vision and ethos and structures for governing and managing the new school. They will appoint a majority of the members of the governing body which runs the Academy. Through their involvement with the governing body, sponsors will continue to contribute their support as the Academy develops.    I have been looking at The Emmanuel Schools Foundation's website and have discovered that Reg Vardy (car salesman) likes to give teachers the benefit of his vast experience i.e he has direct influence on the teaching of our children. What does Reg Vardy know about teaching children? Our Answer: Hi For information, 'Reg Vardy' is in fact the trading name of the car company. Mr R Vardy is deceased and it is his sons Sir Peter Vardy and David Vardy who are involved with the Emmanuel Schools Foundation. Upon establishment, the Secretary of State for Education agrees the curriculum to be offered at each new Academy, taking into account its subject specialism and any local issues. The DfES and OfSTED are then responsible for ensuring that Academies provide the very best education possible for their students within that curriculum. In essence, this is the same curriculum as studied in all maintained schools. In relation to the proposed Academy in Blyth, ESF have indicated their intention to apply to the Secretary of State to specialise in Engineering and Enterprise.    With all the current debate regarding the proposed new "Academy" for Blyth, considering the amount of money that was spent on the new Community College, why did we not stick to the existing 2 high schools that we had in place? Surely this displayed a shocking waste of funds which was made worse when BCC had its first appalling OFSTED inspection? Perhaps it would be better to put that particular house in order before another mistake is made? With all eyes turned towards the new Academy, what does the council have in mind for the future of the Community College? As parents, we are worried that with PLF, is history about to repeat itself, but now with the first schools in Blyth? Our Answer: At the time BCC was built, there were no proposals to look at the reorganisation of the Education system on the basis of 2 tiers. Ridley High School was closed on the basis that it was in a very poor state and not cost-effective to repair while at the same time pupil numbers were falling. The proposals to implement a primary/secondary structure in Blyth mean that BCC would take in an extra two year groups. It has been decided that because of specific issues facing Blyth, it would be better for the town to have two secondary schools, rather than increase the size of the BCC to accommodate all secondary pupils. The vision for Blyth under the new proposals are that BCC and the proposed academy would work together with a particular focus on increasing the numbers of pupils who stay on into the sixth form right across the town. It is proposed that each secondary school would have its own specialism.    When so much faith is being put in the widely reported "dip" in standards when pupils transfer to middle school, how can the KS2 Sats results be believed when the first schools have no external examiners checking the results? Leaving the system wide open, with first schools, in some cases, making pupils re-take tests to make the results look better! Our Answer: KS1 data is verified using a thorough system of moderation. This year, the system was externally inspected by QCA and found to be rigorous and a good model. We have not come across any cases of misuse of the tests at KS! this year, and any cases that do arise are routinely investigated. Also, asking children to re-sit the 'test' would not necessarily change the Level awarded to the child under the new KS1 system    My child is currently in year 3 Plessey Road First school in Blyth. After he has completed year 4 in July 2008 where will he go from there? Our Answer: HI This would be dependant on where you live. The proposals are that the current Plessey Road catchment area would be divided between what would be Croftway Primary School and South Beach Primary School. Without knowing your address,and assuming that you live in the Plessey Road School catchment currently, if you live on the North side of Plessey Road, you would be in the catchment area for Croftway Primary School, and if you live South of Plessey Road you would be in the catchment area for South Beach Primary SChool. However, you would still be able to exercise parental preferance - should you prefer your child to attend any other school, you are at liberty to apply and provided a place is available, you would be offered it. However, for more detailed explanations, I would recommend you try to attend the meeting at the Plessey Road School on Monday 6th November at 7.00 p.m.    How will the new academy deal with the needs of those pupils who do not have Christian faith? About 20% of adults in Blyth in the 2001 census had no religion or did not answer the question. It seems that introducing a school with overt Christian values in an area which has no faith schools at all will give little choice to those who have no Christian faith. Our Answer: I think you have in fact highlighted a gap. If 20% of adults don't subscribe to any religion, surely that means that 80% do i.e. the majority? And as you correctly point out, there is currently no provision for those parents who may wish to have their children educated within a Christian ethos in Blyth at the moment. By introducing the Academy, more choice in fact would be available to parents, as they would have the choice to apply to Blyth Community College or a school in another partnership if they did not want their child educated within a religious framework.    The answer to the previous question is not full enough: the proposal may be a schools of Christian values and ethos, but these can be interpreted in different ways beyween different denominations of the Christian church. How will the ethos of the school compare with the ethos of the existing school in Gateshead? Our Answer: There will be a meeting to discuss the Academy on Monday 20th November where you will be able to ask questions of the Emmanuel School Foundation themselves. WE are not able to comment on the ethos of their school in Gateshead as it is not in our authority.    There is no mention in the report from the second consultation what is happening to Burnside childrens centre, are the facilities moving to the Brockwell site, are we still getting our newly built nursery ? Our Answer: Hi Childcare facilities are to be provided on the Brockwell Middle School site. Discussions regarding the physical layout of the facilities are still ongoing within the design process.    Given that the Emmanuel Schools Foundation has ben identified as a sponsor, is the new school likely to be run in a similar way to the existing schools in for example Gatehead? Our Answer: HI If you look on the 'Documents' page of this website, you will find the Consultation Document for Blyth that sets out the COunty Council's preferred model for the partnership. It provides quite a lot of information about the proposals for the Academy also. However, in brief, any Academy school would have its own catchment area in line with all schools in Northumberland, therefore there will be no selection by ability. The school would follow the National Curriculum and would be subject to the same assesments from the DfES and OFSTED as any other school. The school would have a Christion ethos and values but is not a 'faith' school, therefore it would admit pupils and staff with any or 'no' faith.    It seems to me that most people who send their children to Crofton First School are closer to the Ridley sight (proposal for the new Academy) than they are to BCC. Why should children have to travel unnessary distances, and at extra cost when there is a school which is more accessable? What basis was this decision made on? Our Answer: HI When we were drawing up the proposed catchment areas for Blyth Community College and the Academy, we thought that it was important for: * each secondary school to have its own designated Primary Schools * each secondary school to be located in its catchment area * the size of the proposed Academy to be 6 forms of entry (FE) The only combination of schools to feed into the proposed Academy are New Delaval (1 FE), Newsham (2FE) and South Beach (3FE). We realise that this means that some children living close to the Academy would have further to travel to go to Blyth Community College. However, once pupils living in the proposed Academy's catchment area have been considered for a place, any remaining places will be available for others to apply for. The main criteria for these places would be distance from home to the school.    As you are aware most people in Morpeth CC who agreed with the parents views are now no longer working within this Council. A new breed has been brought in since the early days of Mr. Edwards. If the council will not announce that they have internal problems & do not listen to their own staff who are we to believe what they spin out week after week. Our Answer: Are you aware that we are in fact Northumberland County Council? Unfortunately, we cannot comment on your remarks without further information; if you would care to supply specific details we may be able to respond more fully.    I attended the last meeting at Northburn School and felt that it was a complete waste of time mainly because the Council reps who attended couldn't / didn't answer any questions. However, following the meeting it seems that the process is being drawn out yet again with the Eastfield School relocation up for discussion. I don't have a problem with the two tier system but I'd just like the Council to get on with plans now, make a decision, stick by it and ensure that the transition goes smoothly and our children don't suffer as a result. When will we have definite plans? Our Answer: Hi I understand your frustration that the process is being slowed up by further consultation. However, the purpose of consultation is not only to gather feedback on our proposals, but also to find out if there any good ideas about how to improve those proposals, or any better proposals per se . In the case of the Eastlea proposal, after assessment, it was decided that it did have a number of benefits and therefore we needed to find out the views of stakeholders . Once this short period of consultation is concluded, a report will be going to the Council Executive in early October. The report will feedback the results of this consultation, and will make a number of recommendations as a result of it. If one of these recommendations is that the Cramlington Partnership should reorganise on the basis of the County Council's preferred model, and the Executive agree to it, then Statutory Notices would be published quickly after this meeting, and a six-week period of statutory consultation would begin. This means that anyone who objects to the County Council's proposals can submit their objection in writing. Around a month after the end of this statutory period, the School Organisation Committee (SOC, see Glossary on this site) would meet to assess the proposals and the objections and would make a unanimous decision either in favour or against the proposals. If the SOC are unable to decide unanimously, the decision would be made by an adjudicator appointed by the Government.    If your so intent on putting the learner first why has'nt there been something done about the withdrawal of rail travel passes for the students in Berwick who wish to further their education by going to Newcastle College. Our Answer: Hi We don' actually deal with student travel issues in this team, so I will forward your question to an appropriate colleague.    Your earlier reply says the Academy for Blyth doesn't fall within Dfes guidelines as it is separated from PLF process, yet you also say Blyth Community College will have a new catchment as a result of the new school coming on stream. If one impacts on the other surely the Academy has to form part of the overall consultation process? It is so recent that you closed the other High School in Blyth- at considerable cost financiallly and in terms of disruption to staff and pupils- it seems a strange plan to re visit these problems when Blyth Community College is just coming into its own within the area and surely stakeholders should have an input as to whether or not an Academy is the way forward? Our Answer: Firstly, the earlier reply actually states that the leaflet sent out about the Academy in Blyth in July did not form part of the consultation with that partnership, not that the proposed Academy would not form part of the consultation process if it takes place in Blyth. Secondly the earlier reply states the following -'The proposal for an Academy in Blyth forms part of the overall education proposals for the whole town.' If the County Council Executive agree for consultation to take place in Blyth on the proposals put forward for that partnership, available elsewhere on this site, the Academy would form part of this consultation and stakeholders and the public would have the opportunity to register their views in line with the COunty Councils consultation process and DfES guidelines.    Why doesnt Burnside stay on its current site and Eastlea move to the Brockwell site ? It seems totally unnecessary to move both schools and would save some money from the budget Our Answer: Hi Burnside First School is currently a 2 Form of Entry school, that is it takes in two reception classes each year, and has around 300 pupils in the school in total. Under the County Council's preferred model for reorganisation of the Cramlington Partnership, which is a restructure to a two-tier, primary/secondary system, Burnside Primary school would remain as a 2 Form Entry school. However, a 2 Form entry primary school would have two extra year groups (Years 5 and 6) and therefore the total number of pupils in the school would 420. Unfortunately, the current Burnside side cannot accommodate this number of pupils and therefore Burnside would have to move in any event. Should the decision be made to implement the County Council's preferred model, the proposal to relocate Eastlea Primary School to the current Burnside site has a number of benefits, including a substantial financial saving which would be redistributed across the partnership. These benefits, and the other things to consider, are outlined in Newsletter No 12 which you can read on the PLF main site.    Householders in Blyth have now received information about the planned Academy which will compete with Blyth Community College but there does not seem to be any information about this on your web site and the consultation information has gone out during the school holidays which is strongly discouraged by the Dfes guidleines on consultation. Is the Academy School part of PLF programme or is it being treated differently and independently? Our Answer: Hi Firstly, the proposed Academy in Blyth will not compete with Blyth Community College. Both schools would have their own catchment areas under the proposals, as normal. Furthermore, it is intended that the two schools would work co-operatively to improve the stay-on rate into the sixth-form. Secondly, the leaflet sent out to residents of Blyth does not form part of the consultation on the proposals therefore your reference to the DfES guidelines is erroneous. The leaflet provided facts in order to refute the inaccurate statements made about the proposed Academy at a meeting in Blyth in July and in the local press. The leaflet also offered residents and other local stakeholders the opportunity to visit The King's Academy in Middlesbrough to enable them to come to their own informed opinion rather than having to rely on the second-hand, possibly biased, views of someone else when consultation takes place in the Autumn term. The proposal for an Academy in Blyth forms part of the overall education proposals for the whole town.    Please can you advise whether school staff or PLF staff will be hosting the forthcoming Cramlington meetings w/c 10th July? Do you know which members of the PLF team or which executive members will be attending which meetings, in view of the overlap of meetings on all but the final evening? Our Answer: As this is a County Council proposal, officers from Northumberland will lead and support the forthcoming consultation meetings in Cramlington in all but Cragside C of E First School, where the proposal is being made by the Governors and will therefore be lead by the Chair of Governors of that school.    I can understand that the Head and Governors of the Cramlington High School are pleased with their recent Ofsted inspection but why have the accolades about their success only been sent out via First Schools and not Middle Schools and how does it follow that success at 13 -19 provision will automatically give improvements if the school were to expand to 11-19 years? Our Answer: Thank you for your acknowledgement of a great achievement by Cramlington High School - everyone at the school is justifiably proud of this report, making them one of a handful of schools in the country to have received 'outstanding' across the board. However, the High School sent out information on the report to their current parents only, therefore the first part of your question is unclear. With regard to your query about improvements expanding across the 11-19 age range, our reasons why we believe a two-tier model of education will improve pupil achievement in the Cramlington Partnership are set out in the Consultation Document available on the 'Documents' page of this website    Given that you have acknowledged the need to reopen consultation in Cramlington is it acceptable that the advertisement has the wrong venues for the Middle School meetings, that there is an overlap of meetings preventing people from attending those which clash in the timetable, or that the deadline for the new models from stakeholders hasn't even been mentioned in either the press release or the ad? Our Answer: You are correct in stating that the venues for the middle school meetings in the Cramlington Partnership had been given incorrectly - however, the correct venues were published in the Journal on 23rd June, and will be printed in the News Post Leader on 29th June. This was a genuine mistake, and all efforts have been made to highlight the error. Those who have a vested interest in the Cramlington Partnership, i.e. parents, governors, staff and other stakeholders specifically outlined in DfES Guidelines (February 2006, available on the PLF website)have received copies of the consultation document personally and this provides the correct dates and venues. Additionally, posters have been placed on school doors and noticeboards, so parent s will see them when they drop off or pick up their children. No telephone calls, questions or e-mails have been received from any parents in Cramlington so far querying the date of their meetings. First school meetings, middle school meetings, and the meeting at the High school are being held on different nights respectively, therefore your comment on an overlapping timetable is not clear. The deadline for the new models is clearly outlined in the consultation document; the advert states that further information can be obtained from County Hall (address provided) and the PLF website, and the press release provides the website, from which the consultation document may be obtained.    Please can you explain why a newsletter date May 2006 and distributed this week via schools claims to show the "Judge's verdict on Judicial Review" when in fact the Judge's verdict was not handed down until June 2nd with regard to his recommendations for consultation?Why do you not include the criticisms of the judge, his comment that you have been operating both "unfairly and unlawfully"? Why is this newsletter numbered 11 but far fewer have been distributed to the majority of parents? Presumably, based on the Court's advice, you will be re opening consultation in Alnwick Partnership, as to date we still do not have the long overdue report to Executive, due over 12 month's ago. Our Answer: The Judgement handed down on 18th May by Mr Justice Munby has been reported factually and fairly in Newsletter No 11. Similarly, the judge's verdict outlined in the Supplementary Judgement of June 2nd in relation to his Order regarding the arrangements for further consultation in the Cramlington Partnership was reported factually and fairly in the press release, issued by the authority on June 2nd. Your point in relation to the Supplementary Judgement of June 2nd is unclear. It is true that the words 'unfair' and 'unlawful', that you have selected from the Judgement of 18th May, were not contained in either of the above documents. Similarly, quotations from the judge in relation to his verdict on the other two grounds of contention brought by PFLA were not included, such as 'The defendant, as I have already said, was, in my judgment, perfectly entitled to decide as it did on 19 April 2005, on the basis of the materials it had before it and without requiring an independent evaluation. Its decision was entirely reasonable. It was entirely fair. It involved no abuse of power. It involved no breach of any legitimate expectation.' And 'There is, at the end of the day, nothing to show either that the material put before the Council was misleading or that it was misunderstood (or likely to have been misunderstood) by councillors.' I'm sure that you will agree that in the interests of fair reporting, if we had used comments from the judge in relation to one of the grounds in Newsletter No. 11, we would have had to include a comment from the other two. In relation to your query regarding the numbering of the newsletter, if you refer to the Putting the Learner First Website, Newsletter No 8 relates to the recent Alnwick Market Testing exercise that you are aware of and has been delayed being published on the website. However, parents, staff and headteachers in the Alnwick partnership received their copies prior to the start date of the exercise. Newsletter No.9 is the only document to not yet have been published: other events that had to be reported in Newsletter No. 10 and No. 11 overtook the importance of this newsletter. No. 9 will be published in due course. In his judgement of 18th May, Mr Justice Munby found that the County Council had acted unlawfully in its Stage 2 statutory consultation with the Cramlington Partnership at Consultation. He did not state that previous consultation was invalid, only that consultation specifically on whether or not school partnerships or individual schools should move to a primary/secondary structure of education had not taken place. This is now being rectified in Cramlington and will be included in consultations with other partnerships going forward.    When considering the sale of either of the school sites in Seahouses, will the County Council be preparing to sell to a Housing Association to provide very much needed local accomodation? The sites are both very desirable to developers wanting to build second homes and holiday rentals. W