We, the undersigned, object to the council’s planned expansion of Stanford Infant school. We implore the council to conduct an open, honest and accessible consultation before any decision is taken. The proposal is to expand Stanford Infants to a four-form entry school, increasing yearly intake from 90 to 120 per year in September 2013. By 2015, the total number of pupils will rise from 270 to 360. No additional land will be purchased. We oppose the current planned expansion because: • any planned expansion of Stanford Infants must be supported by viable expansion plans for the Stanford Junior school. Otherwise, children will not be able to transfer with their cohort. • communal hall space and outdoor play areas will be reduced • the nurturing and family feel of the school will be in jeopardy • expansion will have an adverse impact on traffic, environment and could compromise safety. • it is possible that children will spend a significant part of their primary education on a building site with inevitable class disruption • outstanding performance could be impaired by the changes • access routes and parking spaces are already inadequate. • expansion has an impact on the entire school community and the Junior school currently has no permanent head to lead through significant change. We understand the school place issue in the city. However, we believe that the consultation process has failed to engage the community because: • it is not clear or well-publicised – local residents have not been consulted • it is not accessible – online responses were invited too late in the process • it provides insufficient information. The consultation document and poorly-attended public meeting did not address any of the above concerns. We are concerned about the impact of these measures on the quality of education, environment and experience for the city’s children. This proposal does not have the full support of our community. The council is required to give sufficient information for the community to engage. We would like the council to address our concerns, explore options and to work with our community to find a better solution.

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