Snape Wood Primary

This consultation is Open

Snape Wood Primary & Nursery School - proposal for consultation

Nottingham City Council is consulting on the proposal to close Snape Wood Primary & Nursery School on 31 August 2026, at the end of the 2025/26 academic year. 

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The Council has been working with Snape Wood Primary & Nursery School as they are under particular pressure due to a decline in pupil numbers, which is affecting the financial stability and sustainability of the school. The local context in the Bulwell area is that there has been a significant fall in pupil numbers, mainly due to lower birth rates, which are continuing to decline. If schools have a high number of unfilled surplus places, it means the school receives reduced funding from central government and therefore also has a negative impact on pupils’ education.

Snape Wood Primary & Nursery School has been significantly affected by falling rolls and it has by far the highest surplus of all the schools in the Bulwell area. The school currently has 42% unfilled places across the school, expected to increase to 60% by 2028/29. There are not enough children in the local area seeking places in this school. This is expected to remain a problem in the coming years. The falling numbers are also impacting some of the surrounding schools, although to a lesser extent.

Schools receive money from central government based on the number of pupils they admit. This means that schools with a high number of unfilled places are under difficult financial pressure and have less money for staff, resources, equipment, extracurricular activities and enrichment activities for the children, to pay bills and to carry out maintenance work. Affected schools have already told us that if no changes are made, it will affect their ability to fully support their pupils.

We know that our schools have close ties to the local area and communities, sometimes over many generations. This makes this proposal very difficult, and not something we would choose if we felt there was a better option. This proposal is made with the interests of the children in mind, with the aim of creating stronger and more sustainable school provision. We need to collectively ensure all of our schools are fit for the future, and to protect the high-quality education they deliver to their communities. 

School leaders and the Council have been taking collaborative action to manage the situation, including implementing mixed age group classes and undertaking staffing restructures at some of the local schools. But this hasn’t solved the problem as pupil numbers and therefore funding continues to fall.

What does this mean for the children?

If the decision is made to close the school, it would see all children attending Snape Wood Primary & Nursery School being guaranteed a place at one of the other local primary schools. The closest schools are Hempshill Hall Primary, Rufford Primary and Crabtree Farm Primary and there will be sufficient capacity across these three local schools to accommodate pupils who currently attend Snape Wood Primary & Nursery School. Affected pupils, parents and carers will be supported to apply for a place at their local school of choice and the normal admissions criteria will apply for available spaces.

Further details of the admissions arrangements will be provided and full support in managing this process will be available for all children and their families. Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) with or without an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), will receive additional support to ensure a smooth transition.

Further information (including frequently asked questions and answers) will also be available on the Nottingham City consultations website later this week: www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/engage-nottingham-hub/open-consultations/snape-wood-primary/

What does this mean for staff?

We acknowledge that this is a very difficult and upsetting situation and not one that anyone would choose. It is important to be honest with all staff and to provide as much notice as possible. The implications will be discussed further during the consultation process; however, if the school closes, posts are, regrettably, likely to be made redundant.

Support for staff

Council officers and Snape Wood Primary & Nursery School leaders will ensure that support and guidance is provided to staff during this process.

The following colleagues and services are available to support all those affected:

·               Ben Waldram and Lynne Orme, Acting Headteachers 

·               Nicky Bridges, NST Managing Director and Nick Lee, Director of Education Services

·                Carol McCrone and colleagues in Schools’ HR team

·                Lucy Juby, School Organisation and Place Planning Manager

Ben and Lynne can be contacted via the school.

Nicky, Nick and Lucy can be contacted via the SOT@nottinghamcity.gov.uk and Carol, for HR queries, at School.HRQueries@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Staff are also able to access confidential support from the following agencies:

Employee assistance programme, PAM WELLNESS. This is an independent service offering support, guidance and counselling, which is free to Council employees. The service is confidential and available 24/7, throughout the year.

You can contact PAM Wellness by:

·                Free Phone: 0800 882 4102   

·                Email: counsellingteam@pamwellbeing.co.uk

·                Login to the portal pam-assist.co.uk with code NCC1

Education Support Service contactable via:

·              Helpline: 08000 562 561

·              website: www.educationsupport.org.uk

If staff have any questions relating to thir individual employment circumstances, they can also email the HR team at School.HRQueries@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Consultation and what will happen next?

No final decision on school closure has yet been made. There will now be a full consultation process with all those affected by the proposal, and the findings of this will be considered as part of the final decision making.

We now want to hear your comments and welcome your feedback. Your input and suggestions are important in helping us to further understand the views of the children, parents/carers, staff, governors and the local community. This initial Stage 1 consultation period will run from 3 June to 6 July 2025.

Meetings have been arranged for families and staff during the consultation period. It is the opportunity for parents/carers, staff and governors to engage in a consultation meeting to hear further information, share views and raise any questions, led by Council officers and the School leaders.

Consultation meetings for parents and carers to be held at school on the following dates:

- Tuesday 10^th June: 6.00-7.30 p.m.
- Thursday 12^th June: 2-3 p.m.

The Council will consider all the views put forward during this consultation period before making a decision on whether to publish proposals required by law. If proposals are published to close the school, there will be a further Stage 2 period for comments, called the representation period. This would run for 4 weeks in September. A final decision on the proposal will be considered by the Council’s Executive Board and is expected to be made in November 2025, although this timeline may be subject to change.

If the decision is made in November to proceed with closure of Snape Wood Primary and Nursery School, arrangements to implement the decision will begin. Admissions Officers will work with parents/carers to ensure that every child is offered a place to begin at an alternative local school in September 2026.

How do I respond to the consultation?

You can submit your views on this proposal: online by clicking the following link:

www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/engage-nottingham-hub/open-consultations/snape-wood-primary/ which contains information about the proposal and a link to the consultation survey. Please respond by Sunday 6 July 2025.

If you have any questions about this proposal, please email: SOT@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

If you require this document in a different format, please contact us and we will arrange an alternative.

Council officers and Snape Wood Primary & Nursery School leaders will ensure that support and guidance is provided to all affected parties through any change.

What should I say to my child?

We know that following this information going out to parents/carers, children will hear conversations and may start having questions themselves about the proposal. School leaders will talk to children in the school community in an age-appropriate manner about the proposal and our staff team will be prepared to answer questions which may come from children.

Advice when talking with your child about the proposal is to be honest about the facts whilst providing reassurance about the aim that your child's education and learning journey will be carefully considered.

Other advice would be:

Start by acknowledging that this news may be upsetting and that it's okay to feel sad or confused. Let them know that you understand their feelings.

Explain the situation in simple terms:

Explain that the school is being proposed to close because fewer children are attending, and that this makes it difficult to continue operating. Use language that is age appropriate.

Reassure them about their education:

Emphasize that their education is a priority and that if their school closes, they will continue to be educated at a new school.

Offer support:

Let them know that they can talk to teachers, TA's, ELSA, or parents themselves if they want to.

Further supporting information will be contained in a handbook for parents and carers which will be shared in the coming weeks.

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