Issue details

Central Lancaster High School (CLHS) has approached the local authority in relation to the future of its post 16 provision.  CLHS has asked the local authority to start the formal statutory process to consult on the proposal to discontinue its post 16 sixth form provision by permanently lowering its age range from 11-18 years to 11-16 years, with effect from 31 August 2018.  Under The School Organisation (Prescribed Alterations to Maintained Schools) (England) Regulations 2013, and the Department for Education's "Making 'prescribed alterations' to maintained schools" statutory guidance which was published in April 2016, the local authority must be the proposer for this type of significant change and carry out a statutory process, which includes publication, representation, decision, rights of appeal and implementation.  In line with this, the authority is now required to decide whether to publish a Statutory Notice on the proposal to consult on the future of this provision.