APPENDIX 1

The Lead Member for Education and Inclusion, Special Educational Needs and Disability should have regard to the following factors before reaching a final decision on the proposed change of age range at Wivelsfield Primary School.

1	Did the published notice comply with statutory requirements?	The notice complied with statutory requirements as set out in 2.1 of the report.
2	Are the proposals related to other published proposals?	2.2 The proposal to lower the age range at Wivelsfield Primary School is related to a proposal first published on the 2 September 2022. A new statutory proposal was published on 20 October 2022 due to a change in the proposed implementation date from 1 January 2023 to 1 September 2023. The subsequent 4-week representation period closed on 17 November 2022.
3	Is conditional approval being sought for the proposal?	No.
4	Was consultation carried out prior to the publication of notices?	The governing board undertook a period of consultation between 8 November and 5 December 2021. By the close of the consultation period 16 responses had been received.  All the responses fully supported the school’s proposal to lower the age range from 4-11 to 2-11 to provide early years provision for children within the village
5	How will the proposal affect education standards and diversity of provision?	The aim of the proposal is to fully integrate nursery provision into the Early Years Foundation Stage within the school. The governing board wishes to offer high quality early education delivered by experienced and well-trained staff across the Early Years Foundation Stage. The proposal would benefit families in the village who have not been able to access local early years provision since the closure of the former voluntary run pre-school in July 2020.
6	How will the proposal affect the proposed admission arrangements for the school?	The proposal will not affect the admission arrangements of the school, which will remain as published.
7	Will the proposal have an impact on community cohesion?	No potential community impacts were identified by respondents to the consultation.  The proposal would have a positive impact on provision at the school and the wider community as it will meet the needs of local children and families looking for nursery provision. It is proposed that the nursery offers 24 full-time equivalent places for 2–4-year-olds.
8	Will the proposal have an impact on travel and accessibility?	The proposal would have a positive impact on travel and accessibility as families would be able to access early years places in the village, thereby reducing travel times to other provision outside the village. The East Sussex Early Years Forecasting model is showing a need for early years provision within the area.  It is proposed that the nursery offers 24 full-time equivalent places for 2–4-year-olds.
9	Has capital funding been identified and secured to enable the proposals to be implemented?	Capital funding is required to implement the proposal and has been identified in the Council’s approved capital programme.
10	Has due regard under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) been given to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations?	No potential equality barriers were identified by officers or stakeholders during either the initial consultation or the subsequent representation period following the publication of the statutory notice. The local authority believes the proposal will have a positive impact by creating opportunities for children and families to access early years provision within their local area that meets their needs.
11	Have any particular issues or objections been raised during the representation period which could directly affect the proposal?	By the close of the representation period no comments or objections had been received.