Rutland headteacher voices concerns about impact of local government changes

A Rutland headteacher has voiced concerns about the impact the impending local government reorganisation could have on vulnerable children.

Rutland County Council, which is the education authority for the county, is unlikely to exist in three years time as the government plans a national overhaul which could merge existing authorities into larger mega councils.

The preferred option from Rutland's current political leadership is to form a new partnership with neighbouring partners in Melton, Charnwood and North Leicestershire to form a larger authority, although there is an alternative option been put forward within Lincolnshire for Rutland to join with the North and South Kesteven councils and the authority in South Holland.

At the Rutland School’s forum on Thursday June 19, outgoing head teacher of Uppingham Community College (UCC) Ben Solly said he is concerned about the possible impact the reorganisation could have on some pupils, specifically due to funding levels.

He said: “I’m a little worried that schools in Rutland have a very good relationship on the whole with the local authority in comparison to colleagues that I speak to from other local authorities and I guess I am concerned that Rutland schools might not get that in the future.

“It worries me that, that could have an impact - particularly on our most vulnerable children. I don't know if other people share that view or not."

He continued: “I am not here to speak on behalf of my school but, as a school that has a significant number of children from other local authorities, the experience that we get is vastly different when we liaise with Rutland compared to others. That is at the heart of my concerns.

“I guess there is no solution. I just wanted to test the temperature of the people in the group.”

None of the other heads present made a comment but RCC’s cabinet member for children Coun Tim Smith said he was puzzled how any reorganisation other than with Leicestershire could work, due to the shared police and health services.

He said: “Goodness knows how schools will be affected. Yes there are many problems ahead.”

The council’s schools’ finance boss Andrew Merry said there were just two more academic years ahead before the reorganisation, which is expected to take place in April 2028. Before that a shadow authority would be set up, which would devise all the policies for the new council.

Mr Solly, who is taking up the role of director of education for the Discovery Schools Academy Trust, of which UCC, is a member, told the forum: “One thing for this group to keep a really close eye on is specialist provision and the way Designated Special Provision have been built in partnership with Rutland over time and really carefully crafted service level agreements and contracts are those likely to change and those carefully planned provisions could be compromised because of less funding.”

He said the local government changes needed to be kept ‘high on the agenda for local schools’.