Background
West Sussex County Council would like to hear your views on the building of a new all through free school (for children aged 4 – 16) with additional Early Years and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities facilities over two sites in the Burgess Hill area. This is in response to significant housing development to the North of Burgess Hill known as the Burgess Hill Northern Arc and a large number of smaller developments in the Haywards Heath and Hassocks area. We would like to hear your views on the proposed specification of the school and what kind of sponsor you would like to see run the facilities.
The County Council plans to seek expressions of interest for a sponsor in June 2021. Based on local views, and the recommendation of educationalists and local politicians, the County Council will recommend to the Secretary of State for Education who should run the new school. It is the Secretary of State that takes the final decision on who provides the school.
Proposed Option - A New Free School - Advantages and Disadvantages
The building of 3,500 houses to the north of Burgess Hill has provided the opportunity to secure three new school sites as part of the development and funding towards a new secondary school building. The master developer, Homes England, have agreed with the County Council to build and deliver the two new primary school buildings and make substantial financial contributions to the building by the County Council of a secondary school.
The benefits of having new schools are:
- School places will be created nearer new homes therefore reducing school journeys;
- New school buildings can be designed to meet current curriculum guidance and building regulations;
- Existing schools are able to continue without disruption;
- A new school provides another option to meet further growth in pupil numbers if required, and;
- A school is also a focal point for building a new community in a new development.
The disadvantages of a new school include:
- The school is untested whereas existing schools are already established with a good track record
- There are increased overheads in creating a new institution.
Site Location
Construction has started on part of an urban extension to the north of Burgess Hill known as the Burgess Hill Northern Arc for which outline planning permission has been granted. The Freeks Farm development to the north east, which is a separate planning application but forms part of the first phase, has already commenced with the first occupations of houses expected by the end of this year. It is planned that a new all through school (for pupils aged 4 – 16) will be built across two sites to serve this community and we would like your views on what kind of school this should be (the primary phase site is marked 1 and the secondary site marked 2 on the masterplan below). There is a second primary school site but this is beyond the scope of this exercise and not likely to be built a number of years into the development.
Northern Arc Master PlanThe site of the primary phase of the all through is marked 1 to the east of Issacs Lane/A273. The secondary school site is located approximately 360m to the north marked 2 also to the east of Isaacs Lane, as the above map demonstrates.
Have Your Say
Initial consultation is now open for Burgess Hill Northern Arc.
This consultation is an opportunity for local education stakeholders to express their views on the proposed specification of the school and what kind of sponsor you would like to see run the facilities. In particular, we are interested in understanding your views on:
- What kind of sponsor you think would best serve the area;
- What kind of services and facilities you would value in the upcoming specification;
- When the schools should open, and any comments on timeframe and accessibility;
- Any other views you may have on the specification.
We would welcome your views in the online questionnaire as your feedback will be vital in helping to shape how these early plans develop, ahead of public consultation later in the year. This is a preliminary consultation relating specifically to the future sponsor of the all through primary and secondary school. A separate consultation will be held at a later date on the design of the school when this is considered by the local planning authority (Mid Sussex District Council).
Accessibility statement
If you need this information in an alternative format, please contact us on 03302226303 and soad@westsussex.gov.uk. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and have an NGT texting app installed on your computer, laptop or smartphone, you can contact us on 18001 03302226303.
We are committed making this website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. West Sussex County Council has created an Accessibility Statement, and details about the general accessibility of the Your Voice Engagement Hub can be found by clicking on the 'Accessibility tab' right at the bottom of the page.
We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us at haveyoursay@westsussex.gov.uk.
Background
West Sussex County Council would like to hear your views on the building of a new all through free school (for children aged 4 – 16) with additional Early Years and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities facilities over two sites in the Burgess Hill area. This is in response to significant housing development to the North of Burgess Hill known as the Burgess Hill Northern Arc and a large number of smaller developments in the Haywards Heath and Hassocks area. We would like to hear your views on the proposed specification of the school and what kind of sponsor you would like to see run the facilities.
The County Council plans to seek expressions of interest for a sponsor in June 2021. Based on local views, and the recommendation of educationalists and local politicians, the County Council will recommend to the Secretary of State for Education who should run the new school. It is the Secretary of State that takes the final decision on who provides the school.
Proposed Option - A New Free School - Advantages and Disadvantages
The building of 3,500 houses to the north of Burgess Hill has provided the opportunity to secure three new school sites as part of the development and funding towards a new secondary school building. The master developer, Homes England, have agreed with the County Council to build and deliver the two new primary school buildings and make substantial financial contributions to the building by the County Council of a secondary school.
The benefits of having new schools are:
- School places will be created nearer new homes therefore reducing school journeys;
- New school buildings can be designed to meet current curriculum guidance and building regulations;
- Existing schools are able to continue without disruption;
- A new school provides another option to meet further growth in pupil numbers if required, and;
- A school is also a focal point for building a new community in a new development.
The disadvantages of a new school include:
- The school is untested whereas existing schools are already established with a good track record
- There are increased overheads in creating a new institution.
Site Location
Construction has started on part of an urban extension to the north of Burgess Hill known as the Burgess Hill Northern Arc for which outline planning permission has been granted. The Freeks Farm development to the north east, which is a separate planning application but forms part of the first phase, has already commenced with the first occupations of houses expected by the end of this year. It is planned that a new all through school (for pupils aged 4 – 16) will be built across two sites to serve this community and we would like your views on what kind of school this should be (the primary phase site is marked 1 and the secondary site marked 2 on the masterplan below). There is a second primary school site but this is beyond the scope of this exercise and not likely to be built a number of years into the development.
Northern Arc Master PlanThe site of the primary phase of the all through is marked 1 to the east of Issacs Lane/A273. The secondary school site is located approximately 360m to the north marked 2 also to the east of Isaacs Lane, as the above map demonstrates.
Have Your Say
Initial consultation is now open for Burgess Hill Northern Arc.
This consultation is an opportunity for local education stakeholders to express their views on the proposed specification of the school and what kind of sponsor you would like to see run the facilities. In particular, we are interested in understanding your views on:
- What kind of sponsor you think would best serve the area;
- What kind of services and facilities you would value in the upcoming specification;
- When the schools should open, and any comments on timeframe and accessibility;
- Any other views you may have on the specification.
We would welcome your views in the online questionnaire as your feedback will be vital in helping to shape how these early plans develop, ahead of public consultation later in the year. This is a preliminary consultation relating specifically to the future sponsor of the all through primary and secondary school. A separate consultation will be held at a later date on the design of the school when this is considered by the local planning authority (Mid Sussex District Council).
Accessibility statement
If you need this information in an alternative format, please contact us on 03302226303 and soad@westsussex.gov.uk. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and have an NGT texting app installed on your computer, laptop or smartphone, you can contact us on 18001 03302226303.
We are committed making this website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. West Sussex County Council has created an Accessibility Statement, and details about the general accessibility of the Your Voice Engagement Hub can be found by clicking on the 'Accessibility tab' right at the bottom of the page.
We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us at haveyoursay@westsussex.gov.uk.
