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Elson & Gomer Infant School Federation
Consultation Feedback Summary
The Governing Bodies of both Elson & Gomer Infant Schools consulted on a proposal to
federate the two schools between 4th March & 24th April 2015 and sought the views of a
variety of stakeholders.
The Governing Bodies received feedback, including that from:
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Parents of children at both Elson & Gomer Infant Schools
Staff at both Elson & Gomer Infant Schools
Staff, parents and governors from other Gosport schools
Local Councillors
Hampshire County Council (Local Authority)
Other members of the Gosport community
Respondent numbers were low in relation to the number of parents, staff and community
members that were consulted about the proposal:
In total, Gomer Infant School governors received 81 responses (across all stakeholders) and
Elson Infant School received 28 responses (across all stakeholders)
Feedback from the immediate school communities showed that 50% of respondents from
Gomer supported the proposal and in Elson that figure was 62%.
Careful consideration was given to all responses and feedback from Gomer/Elson Junior
Schools, Local Councillors and Hampshire County Council was discussed at length prior to
individual governors voting on the proposal.
Of the responses that raised some concerns, the key themes were:
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Any potential negative impact on school(s) performance/standards
Any potential negative impact on transition/progression for children between
infant/junior schools (and preference for Primary model)
Sharing of a Head Teacher
Identity of Schools
All concerns and particularly those identified above, were considered and discussed by
governors at all stages of the process leading up to the consultation period, during the
consultation period and at the final meeting in which governors made a decision about the
way forward.
Governors are confident that the federative model will not impact negatively in these areas
and that there will be opportunities to enhance/improve upon the work that is currently
underway.
Of the responses that expressed support for the proposal, the key themes were:
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Benefits that federating would bring to quality of teaching and staff development
across both schools (sharing of expertise)
Good to formalise an established model that has worked successfully over recent
years
Children better prepared for step up to Junior/Secondary schools
Governors were pleased to note the positive themes above and the fact that many parents
had seen the benefits to their children during our collaborative period.
At a meeting on Monday 27th April 2015, the Governing Bodies of both schools considered
all of the responses received during the consultation period and individual governors were
asked to vote on the proposal to federate as set out in the consultation document.
Both Governing Bodies voted to proceed with forming a federation of the two infant schools,
which would come into effect on 29th June 2015.
Both Governing Bodies agreed to the proposal by a significant margin of votes.
We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the consultation process, as without the
feedback, governors would not have been able to gauge the views of stakeholders. It was
also important that where concerns were raised, that governors discussed these points and
challenged themselves and each other, before reaching their conclusions.
Governors are confident that both schools will continue to improve and that we will benefit
from strong leadership, now and into the future. We will continue to work with our junior
schools to strengthen transition arrangements for the children and will engage with the
Gosport community to contribute to improving provision for children across the community.
Yours sincerely
Gordon Duff
Tim Lett
(Chair of Governors, Elson Infant School)
(Chair of Governors, Gomer Infant School)