Pershore education planning area will become fully a two-tier system (primary and secondary) from September 2027
All of the relevant decision makers have agreed that the existing first and middle schools will become primary schools
and that Pershore High School’s Year 7 intake will be expanded to accommodate all Year 7 pupils in the area
Some changes will be implemented from September 2025
followed by more in September 2026 with the final change in September 2027
Changes to schools in the Pershore education planning area over several years have led to uncertainty and concerns about the sustainability of some schools across the education planning area
In September 2019 three first schools in the Pershore area were approved to change to primary schools by the Regional Schools Commissioner along with Pershore High School to create an option of a two-tier system of education for families
The creation of additional places in years 5
6 and 7 because of the approved changes resulted in an ongoing level of surplus in these year groups - forecast to be 40% in September 2024 and projected to rise further in the future
This creates significant difficulty for schools in delivering the Key Stage 3 (Year 7
we have seen parents in the Pershore area choosing a Primary and Secondary (two-tier system) education in their school admissions applications
with an increasing percentage choosing to remain at already converted primary schools and a number choosing to transfer from first to primary schools during Key Stages 1 and 2
This creates a risk to ensuring clear and quality education journeys for pupils
this transition was proposed because we want to ensure that:
we facilitated engagement with education stakeholders including all schools in the pyramid
the Department for Education’s Regions Group and the Dioceses to find agreed solutions to manage this risk within the education planning area
In July 2021 all of the schools’ governing bodies and Multi-Academy Trusts confirmed their agreement / intentions to consult on the proposed change to a two-tier Education Planning area
to seek changes of age range (where necessary) and
A consultation was held during October and November 2021 which received a total of 270 responses with 78% agreeing and 16% disagreeing on the proposal to convert to a single two-tier system
The Council’s Cabinet agreed a commitment to support a collective change of age range to align schools in the Pershore education planning area to a single two-tier (primary and secondary) system of education
subject to confirmation of the funding necessary to expand Pershore High School Year 7 places
For more information please see agenda and minutes
Agenda for Cabinet on Thursday, 21st April, 2022, 10.00 am - Worcestershire County Council (moderngov.co.uk)
A co-ordinated consultation exercise was held during September 2024
whereby each of the schools proposing a change as part of the area review sought feedback from all parties who may be affected by those changes.
The consultation provided stakeholders with an opportunity to share their views about what is important about the age ranges of schools and transitions from one school to the next
The schools involved sought responses from all stakeholder groups
other local schools and any other interested parties about the changes proposed for each school.
Pershore Education Area Review - Context Proposals Timeline Consultation information (PDF)
This table summarises a current pupil’s future journey through the education system in Pershore:
Email: pershorereview@worcestershire.gov.uk
Significant changes are coming to some schools in the Pershore area
The Pershore education planning area will fully become a two-tier system (primary and secondary) from September 2027
Agreement has been reached by the appropriate decision makers to extend the age ranges of all the first schools to become primary schools starting with retaining year 5 in September 2025 and then year 6 in September 2026
The middle schools in Pershore will no longer have a point of entry (admission) into Year 5 for September 2025
and Pershore High Schools intake will be expanded to accommodate all Year 7 pupils in the area from September 2027
Cabinet Member for Education at Worcestershire County Council said: "These changes mark a significant step forward in streamlining the education system in the Pershore area
ensuring children experience a smoother transition between school phases and a more integrated educational experience for students and families
Worcestershire County Council is pleased to be able to be working in partnership with decision makers to support this change that has been called for by the community of schools.”
More information including details on the individual school changes can be found on the County Council website at: www.worcestershire.gov.uk/pershorereview.
If any parents require further guidance or want to discuss individual circumstances, they are encouraged to contact the Worcestershire County Council’s School Admissions Team at schooladmissions@worcestershire.gov.uk or speak to their child’s current school
Residents are being encouraged to have their say on changes to the school system in the Pershore area
ahead of the consultations closing date this Sunday (29 September)
The consultation will explore proposals to change age ranges
combine schools and increase pupil numbers at schools in and around the Pershore. Schools have asked Worcestershire County Council to review the age ranges of the schools
so that there is a clear and consistent education pathway
and co-ordinated age range for children attending school in the local education planning area
Schools that have already converted to two-tier will not make any further changes
The consultation runs from 2 September 2024 to noon on 29 September 2024 and provides an opportunity to have a say about what is important about age ranges of schools and transitions from one school to the next
Before final decisions are made in November 2024 the results of the consultations will be considered by:
Cabinet Member for Education at Worcestershire County Council
said: “We have been actively collaborating with Pershore schools and Academy Trusts to develop a unified and transparent approach to changing age ranges in the school system
and residents are encouraged to have their say on these proposed changes and help shape decisions that prioritise the education needs for current and future generations in the Pershore area.” Following a direct approach from schools in the Pershore area in Autumn 2020
the local authority has worked closely with schools and the Department for Education (DfE) to evaluate the risks and issues relating to the current organisation of the schools in the education planning area
the Council and DfE have also worked towards sourcing additional funding to support the expansion of Pershore High School to accommodate additional pupils who would transfer in Year 7 rather than Year 8. Historically
the education provision in Pershore has tended to follow a three-tier journey
where pupils attend first schools from age 4-9
transfer to middle schools at age 9-12 and then transfer to high school at age 12 to complete their education
some schools in the Pershore area have already completed the transition from three-tier to two-tier where pupils attend a primary school from age 4-11 with a transfer at age 11 to secondary school
For more information and to have your say on the proposals, please visit the Pershore Review pages of our website.
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