The following are questions raised by the audience at the Open Meeting held in Lydbury North Village Hall on Monday 5th November, they have all been sent to Ian Budd, Karen Calder and members of Shropshire County Council Cabinet.
The answers have been prepared by officers from Children and Young People's Services and other directorates within the Council

1	The Councillors have stated this is the very beginning of the consultation process yet we are only given one policy option at this stage.  If this policy is not agreed what other options are there?	This question is based on a misunderstanding of the nature of the consultation.  A set of principles have been put forward for comments or additions through the consultation process.  Outcomes from the consultation could include acceptance of some principles but not others, the addition of additional principles or the modification of one or more of the existing principles.
2	Why is the council using an online questionnaire that is weighted so that anyone reading the policy and principles would answer ‘yes’ which then gives a mandate for the council to close schools for non-educational reasons?	The online questionnaire asks whether respondents agree with the proposed principles.  If they are in full agreement respondents need only tick the yes box.  However, if they are in partial agreement or partial or full disagreement they are invited to give their reasons and/or propose other principles.  At no point in either the consultation document or the consultation response form is there any indication that any school could be closed without the specific eleven stage community consultation and decision making process. The current consultation process is also clear that the reasons for consulting on new principles are to sustain a network schools in town and rural areas to provide high quality education.
3	How will you ensure there remains choice for parents in rural areas?	Parents will still have the option to apply for a place for their child at any school.
4	In the event of this policy proceeding who will conduct the investigation into the impact on local communities?	If a new policy is agreed and this results in any proposals to close schools, the immediate investigation would be conducted through the consultation and research process on individual school proposals.  However, the most recent  published independent investigation into the effect of the closure of small schools on both pupils and communities has recently been published by the Institute of Welsh Affairs (see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7081810.stm).  Shropshire County Council is also working with DCSF on a national pathfinder project on school organisation which means that the process and outcomes of the organisation policy proposals will be monitored and followed up.
5	Are children registered with bordering Counties doctors included in the statistics?  (e.g. Powys)	Yes.  The Children and Young People’s statistics team work with the health service and other partners to obtain the highest possible quality data.  This involves using (anonymised) data from a number of different sources to obtain an accurate picture of potential pupils living in each area.  We can also make a good estimate, based on data from previous years, of the number of pupils who move into and out of Shropshire for their education.
6	In the light of the report by Prof. Robin Alexander of Cambridge University, which highlights very specific problems in Primary education, does the panel regret the council plan to close primary schools that are avoiding these problems?	There is no Shropshire County Council plan to close any specific school other than the one school where a consultation is currently under way.  That said, Shropshire County Council is following with great interest the Primary Review, (See http://www.primaryreview.org.uk ) which so far has said nothing about the relative merits of small or large, rural or urban schools.  However, as the avowed aim and first principle of the proposed new policy is to ensure a network of schools providing high quality education it will certainly be the intention of Shropshire County Council to avoid any of the specific problems mentioned in the review’s various reports.
7	Central Government, only last week, was forced to change its policy on the claw back of 5% of annual profits of Primary Schools because of public pressure.  Can the County not exert the same public pressure to reverse this latest policy?	The proposed policy and principles are a local response to maintain high quality education in the face of reducing pupil numbers.  Shropshire County Council continually pressurises the Government to allocate more resources to rural councils and councils at the lowest end of the funding range for schools, but even additional funding would still mean that significant challenges would have to be faced.
8	Have the council looked at ring fencing the rural sparsity funding to secure the future of rural schools?	There is no specific funding for sparsity allocated to Shropshire County Council through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) to “ring fence”. Shropshire County Council, however, allocates additional resources from within DSG to smaller primary schools to support staffing levels. The proposed policy commits to continuing to provide enhanced support for smaller schools.
9	Why is the current policy not working?	The current policy has been very successful in maintaining the current network of schools as primary pupil numbers have dropped from the most recent high point in 2000.  However, as pupil numbers have continued to drop the situation can no longer be contained within the current policy and proposals have been brought forward for consultation on how to address this renewed challenge.
10	Have the LEA already earmarked funds to transport displaced children to other schools?	Many children in rural schools are already transported to school.  Should a new policy be agreed which leads to proposals to close an individual school the proposal would need to be considered on its merits. The level of additional transport required, if any, would form part of the consultation on the proposal and the costs of transport would be set against the savings arising from closing the school.
11	What evidence does Mr Budd have to support statements in his report to Cabinet (26/9/07) regarding the standard of education delivered in small schools?	Shropshire County Council readily acknowledges that almost all small Shropshire schools provide a good quality of education.  There is clear evidence that it is difficult to attract good fields of candidates for headships of very small schools.  Several governing bodies have made multiple attempts before they have managed to find a high quality recruit.  Ofsted have also commented on the range of facilities available to small schools, particularly the ability to deliver the Key Stage 2 PE curriculum.  Many headteachers of small schools have in the past approached the Local Authority with concerns about their workload.  However, it would not be appropriate to identify the schools involved, particularly at this time, and in any case these are not factors which will factor in the application of any new policy to individual schools.
12	Why didn’t the LEA make any plans to directly inform either parents or governors (via the Autumn Term governors meeting agenda) that this process was being undertaken?	Shropshire County Council asked its headteachers, as the professional officers in the closest contact with parents and governors, to pass information directly to those groups.  The Autumn Term governing body agenda was published before the report to Members had been considered by Cabinet.  Shropshire County Council is led by its elected Members and it would not have been appropriate to release details of a consultation before it had been considered and approved by Members
13	Why are the smallest and most vulnerable communities being targeted to make up the shortfall in funding when the quality of education provided in small schools is undisputed? (Ref: letter from Liz Nicholson & Ann Hartley, Sept 06, “Shropshire continues to provide one of the very best educational services in the Country”)	No communities are being targeted, far less the smallest or most vulnerable.  As noted above, the quality of education in all schools remains high.  However, as pupil numbers and resources continue to reduce there is the possibility of unplanned failures of schools which might well leave vulnerable communities in a poor situation.  By proposing to create a sustainable network of rural schools Shropshire County Council is also proposing to protect rural communities in the longer term.
14	Have small schools been singled out for closure for financial expedience and does the council think they will cause the least rumpus and go quietly?	No small schools are proposed for closure in the current consultation.
15	What percentage of the total education budget is £1.3m?	Shropshire County Council has never used a figure of £1.3m, and it cannot be reconciled to any of the figures in the report or consultation document. Falling pupil numbers drive a reduction (at today’s values) in DSG of £6.7m between 2007 and 2011. This results in a shortfall in school commitments of £3.8m between 2008 and 2011, of which £3.3m is between 2009 and 2011.     However £1.3m would represent 2.2% of the annual budget for primary schools.  £3.8m is 6.5%
16	How many schools would it be necessary to close to produce the required savings?	This question cannot be answered precisely as it would require selection of individual schools. The precise amount saved in the closure of a school varies from school to school depending on specific site factors and community planning.
17	To what extent will academic results be a factor in whether to close any particular school?	Shropshire County Council would take account of any Ofsted report which placed a school in a category of concern.  There are currently no schools in categories of concern in Shropshire.
18	Do we need 8 secondary schools in Shrewsbury?	This question is outside the scope of the current consultation.  However, there are six secondary schools serving Shrewsbury.  There are insufficient places overall to absorb displaced pupils from any one school into another.
19	Why was the consultation document not more user-friendly and more widely publicised?	The consultation document was widely publicised through schools and in the media, and through the Council’s own website.  The user-friendliness or otherwise of the document is a matter of opinion, but the document was scrutinised by a number of individuals before release, including Elected Members.
20	Why did the LEA make no effort to inform the major stakeholders in this process i.e. Parents?	See the answers to questions 12 and 19.
21	The latest statistics in the birth rate figures indicate a rise.  How is it realistic to close schools which will be needed in future years?	It is true to say that the population of England is forecast to rise, and that the rates of birth and fertility of individual women are both increasing.  However, this process has been happening at a national level for some time while the school age population of Shropshire has continued to decline.  This is because the age profile of Shropshire is changing faster than the effect of immigration, development and increasing fertility, with fewer and fewer women of child bearing age living or moving into the county.  Even if the level of development were to increase substantially, the pattern of development has been and is forecast to continue to be such that mainly large houses with few pupils of primary school age are constructed in rural areas.  Substantial new developments are likely to be attached to existing larger settlements and in any case should have access to their own education provision, not just where unfilled places happen to exist at the time.
22	How many primary schools have less than 4 classes in Shropshire?	It should be noted that the proposed principles and entitlement do not propose the closure of any schools and certainly do not propose the closure of all two and three class schools.  Indeed, it has been made clear throughout the consultation that there would have to be a network of small schools to meet the entitlement to a primary school place within six miles of home.  In addition, any specific future proposal could lead to a current two class school being expanded to a three class school, or a three class school being expanded to a four class school through redistribution of pupils. In January 2007, there were 42 schools with less than four classes.
23	What other policy options did the council consider before putting forward this particular policy document?	The Council has identified a set of principles which are open to comment or addition, rather than a set of inflexible options to be chosen amongst.  Initial option appraisal did consider other options for the distance principle and the option of larger schools in rural areas, but felt that these would not be sustainable in the Shropshire context.
24	Why has the council allowed the shortfall in central funding to continue for so long without informing the public about this crucial issue?	Shropshire County Council has continually publicised the fact that Shropshire is poorly funded compared with other authorities and has pressurised the Government to provide more funding.  Publicity has also been given to the reduction in pupil numbers.  The specific policy of a minimum funding guarantee which is used in the calculation of the shortfall figure of £3.8m between 2008 and 2011 was introduced from April 2006.
25	Can you prove that you will do something as a result of the consultation – otherwise why have a consultation?	The report to Cabinet on 28 November will include consideration of all the points raised in the consultation.  Clearly no guarantee can be given that any individual view expressed will result in changes to the proposed policy and entitlement, but Members will consider the outcomes from the consultation in great detail.
26	Given that the office of National Statistics shows an increase of 5-9 year olds from 2008 and levelling out by 2018 what will the LEA long term strategy be post closure?	See the answer to question 21.
27	Why have the public only just found out about the consultation?  Councillors seem surprised by the poor response but I believe it is entirely due to bad publicity.	The public have been informed about the consultation in many ways since the report to Cabinet was first published on 19 September and the consultation commissioned on 26 September.  This has included direct communication from schools, articles in the press and on radio and publicity through the Council’s website.  At the time of writing, written responses had been received from over 1150 individuals, and many additional individuals had attended the consultation meetings with headteachers and governors.  This is a strong response to a consultation based upon principles.
28	Please consider extending the consultation deadline as the full impact of the proposed policy is only just getting through to grass roots?	Responses have been received from members of the public from the very first days of the consultation period.  Sufficient time and publicity have been given to the consultation for any concerned Shropshire resident or interested person to respond.  Indeed, responses have been received from national and local bodies who were not directly informed of the consultation.  Councillors will consider any responses that arrive after the deadline but before Cabinet.
29	You may not have received many replies to your online ‘questionnaire’ but you cannot ignore the strength of response via the local press.	As noted above, many hundreds of people have responded to the consultation, far more than the number of individuals who have had letters published in the press.  As this is a policy consultation, careful consideration will be given to the issues and practical solutions offered by consultees. Quality of response is more important than quantity in arriving at a sustainable strategy for the future of primary education in Shropshire.
30	Would the proposal not simply accelerate the ‘demographic time bomb’ requiring future remedial action beyond this proposal?	This is good point and one which was considered in the preparation of the initial report.  It will no doubt be considered again should any proposals be made regarding individual schools.  In practice there is no general evidence that the age profile of settlements in rural areas with no school is aging at a greater rate than those with schools.
31	Why is this simply a mathematical exercise with no other factors taken into consideration?	It is most certainly not simply a mathematical exercise.  Shropshire County Council has considered and rejected the model used by Council W, which uses a multivariate analysis mathematical model to select schools for closure or amalgamation.  However, Shropshire County Council has also rejected the gradualist approach adopted by Council C which has left schools in extended periods of uncertainty and resulted in some schools undergoing unplanned closure as a result.  Having learned from these extremes, Shropshire County Council has proposed a model where broad principles are discussed and adopted and then would be applied using common sense and further consultation on any proposals for individual schools.
32	Why has the discrepancy in central government funding not been addressed sooner?	See the answers to questions 8 and 24 above
33	How do you have the nerve to use the words ‘every child matters’ when they quite clearly do not factor equally in this policy?	Shropshire County Council firmly believes that every child matters, whether they are in a small rural school or a two form entry urban school.  The proposed policy principles aim to make a high quality education available to all pupils in Shropshire. Additional support is proposed for smaller schools to ensure that their children receive the equivalent entitlement to those in larger schools.
34	How do you propose to address transport/traffic issues relating to additional vehicles being required?	Should the proposed new policy result in proposals relating to individual schools, the travel and traffic arrangements at receiving schools would be part of the consultation process.  As noted above, the number of extra vehicles is in practice often less than initially thought likely in public consultation, in part because many children are already transported to school and vehicles are simply redirected, and in part because spaces in existing vehicles can be better utilised.  It is also true to say that maintaining a smaller network of schools would enable a higher level of capital investment in each school and this might be directed to access issues where appropriate.
35	Do you think it is acceptable for a child of 4 or 5 to be on a bus for up to 2 hours each day?	Many rural children will continue to walk to school.  There is no proposal in the principles for any primary pupil to be on a bus for more than 40 minutes in any journey, and the overwhelming majority of journeys will be considerably shorter.  The longest regular journey to school currently undertaken by a pupil is 7.7 miles and takes under 30 minutes.
36	If a child is taken ill at school or has an accident, during the school day, how do you propose the parents (who many not have a car or drive) to be able to reach them speedily?	At present only a minority of parents are within walking distance of rural schools during the day.  Schools adopt a variety of practices to ensure that parents can reach school outside regular home to school times and this would continue should the school network be changed.
37	How can you justify the significant increase in traffic with regard to the Carbon footprint in Shropshire?	As noted above, the increase in travel is likely to be less than initially considered in consultation.  Detailed calculations relating to a school closure proposal have shown that the reduction in carbon emissions which result from the closure of the site, and the reduction in vehicle miles from fewer deliveries, can actually result in a significant net reduction in emissions even when additional transport of pupils is included. We would study the carbon footprint implications of any other school change proposal.
38	Have you ‘rural proofed’ the policy?	The impact of the proposed policy on rural communities has and will continue to be considered at each stage.
39	You will need to re-employ teachers elsewhere; you will not necessarily enjoy any funding from sale of school premises; you will have increased running costs in other schools; you will have to fund a building programme; you will have increased transport costs; you will have increased administration costs, please explain precisely how the proposed savings are to be made? (This does not even take into account the ‘hidden’ costs and increased carbon footprint)	When a school is closed, there are substantial savings in fixed costs such as the cost of utilities and maintenance. Some of the displaced children would go to fill unfilled places at nearby schools and reduce the cost per pupil at those schools. There are savings in management and administration costs, and smaller savings (per school) at county level. As stated, any additional transport costs in rural areas would have to be netted off against these savings. However, as noted above the costs are likely to be limited because many rural children are already transported to school and other will be able to take up unfilled places on existing vehicles. As there are no proposals for individual schools, it is not possible to comment on needs for immediate capital investment or on the level of funds for reinvestment which could be raised by the sale of redundant sites. However, the County is about to embark on a major programme of investment in primary schools in partnership with the Government. This will enable improvements to be made to about half the current number of schools in the county over the remainder of this decade and the next. At least £8.5m is due to be invested in the years 2009 to 2011, and the government expect this should be linked to proposals to rationalise school places.
40	Have you asked the children what they think about this?	Yes.  Pupils who have recently transferred to secondary school (and so can look back with recent memories on a full career in primary education) have taken part in consultation activities on the policy and vision for primary education.  The outcomes will form part of the evidence pack for Members considering the Cabinet report on 28 November.

The following is the response to a question which was asked to members of the audience, at the open meeting,
The question asked was:
Do you have any suggestions as to how Shropshire County Council can fund the predicted shortfall of £1.3m per year?

 Answers:

•  Very difficult to answer without knowing details of all budgets.

• Ring fence expenditure needed to maintain small schools as part of the whole package of primary school provision in Shropshire.  Rationalise this by examining what a TINY percentage of the overall budge this represents.

• Exert pressure on central government to revise the funding structure for rural communities.

• Examine the feasibility of using ‘cluster’ head teachers of adjacent schools.

•  Ring-fence the savings from forming a unitary authority to fund the continuance of high education standards in Shropshire.

• Examine the cost efficiency of LEA admin and advisory employees.  Streamline services NOT schools.

• Realise your priority – education of children should be above other responsibilities – transport, marketing etc.

• Acknowledge the huge impact of financial demands in other areas later on.

•  If I could answer this question I would expect Ian Budd’s job and salary.

• Start to practice good housekeeping – it is widely known that carrying out work for the County Council is a ‘licence to print money’.

• Cut other budgets – education should be a priority.

• Close all schools for an extra 2 weeks at Christmas and 2 weeks less in the summer to save on heating bills.

• Check the cost of projects and pay realistic prices on time (some contractors increase bills as they know they may not get paid for 6 months).

The following is the full document received minus the questions  put forward by Lydbury North Parish Council Open Meeting, which have been documented above.        

Children and Young People’s Services
Shropshire Schools For The Future

This document lists the questions raised by respondents to the consultation on the policy principles proposed for a new School Organisation Policy, and replies prepared by officers from Children and Young People’s Services and other directorates within the Council.  As essentially the same question was often received from more than one respondent, and in some cases from many respondents, similar questions have been combined with wording which reflects the common points made.