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Meeting between Tarvin Parish Council and Tarporley High School

24th May 2018 @ 6:06am – by Tarvin Parish Council
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An article published at the end of April said that a meeting would be taking place between the Parish Council and Tarporley High School. That meeting took place and the following report was presented to the Parish Council meeting on Monday evening:

1. "Introduction

1.1 Tarvin traditionally sends most of its secondary aged children to Tarporley High School (THS). However, when THS becomes over-subscribed Tarvin pupils face a problem because Tarvin is the furthest large settlement from THS and whilst there are three other secondary schools to the west, all closer in distance, these schools are also over-subscribed.

1.2 As a consequence of concerns raised by parents whose children were not initially offered a place at THS, Councillors Twigg and Lush, together with Borough Cllr Leather, met the THS senior management team. Councillor Lush had previously discussed the issue with the headteacher of Tarvin Primary School.

2. The current position

2.1 There is no doubt that THS wants to take Tarvin pupils. This is probably not surprising given that Tarvin is THS's largest feeder school.

2.2 At the time of the meeting three pupils (only one of whom lived in Tarvin village itself) had not yet gained a place at THS. We gained the impression that this situation would soon be satisfactorily resolved.

2.3 If true, this will mean that once again no Tarvin child wanting a place at THS has failed to get one. This is important because it is proof that THS is committed to Tarvin and will always strive to accommodate Tarvin pupils when places become available.

3. The future – 2019 onwards

3.1 The problem faced by Tarvin pupils will only get worse in future years as new housing in rural West Cheshire has an impact on numbers. Unless something is done, this means that, because of the geography, Tarvin residents may not be so fortunate in future years. What therefore could be done?

3.2 First, Tarvin parents and pupils need to understand the admissions process so that when they are asked to make a choice of secondary school they do so clearly and, most importantly, use all of their preferences.

3.3 Secondly, although academisation seems to the layman to have induced an attitude of "every school for itself", there is in our opinion a need for schools to work together. As an example, there are two THS feeder schools which are even further from THS than is Tarvin, and much closer to other secondary schools, so why not talk to these other secondary schools about their admissions policies? Currently Christleton HS – the closest secondary school to Tarvin – takes pupils from Great Boughton, but should they be looking at their admissions policy and designated feeder schools?

3.4 Thirdly, CWaC should be asked to explain what Section 106 money has been allocated to THS as a consequence of all the house building in rural West Cheshire, and if the answer is none to explain why not, given that THS is currently over capacity

3.5 Finally, THS could be asked to consider moving (even temporarily) to an intake of 7 x 32 rather than 7 x 30 in order to take in more pupils

4. Conclusion

4.1 The Parish Council is only a peripheral player in all this but the well-being of its residents is crucial to what it does.

The meeting noted that since the report had been written all Tarvin pupils had been offered places at Tarporley High School. It was also decided that CWaC would be asked to respond to point 3.4 of the report.

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