School 'Bulge Year'

Following recent discussions with both infant schools in Haddenham, Bucks County Council has announced its agreement to allocate Haddenham St Mary's CE School an additional 15 places for pupils starting Reception in September 2014.

Haddenham St Mary's is able to accommodate the additional children for this year with minor internal alterations — while Haddenham Community Infant School would have required additional accommodation and there is not sufficient time between now and September for that to be provided due to the time it would take to agree a design and secure planning consent.

The additional places will help to meet the additional pressure that the Local Authority is currently experiencing in the area largely as a result of unexpectedly high migration levels.

Additionally, it will ensure all children currently on Haddenham St Mary's waiting list for September will be allocated a place.

The extra places have been agreed on a one-off basis only and do not represent a permanent increase in the school's admissions number. However, it is the Local Authority's intention to meet with all local schools to discuss future needs in Haddenham and the surrounding area.

To accommodate the increased admissions in September, the Local Authority has agreed to fund internal alterations and additional resources needed, which school governors believe will benefit the whole school in both the short and longer term.

A total of 60 iPads on two mobile trolleys will be one aspect of the additional equipment provided, ensuring all children at Haddenham St Mary's school have access to top of the range ICT resources for use across the whole curriculum.

Minor alterations to the internal layout of the school will provide larger teaching areas and increased storage, although these will not all be complete by September.

An additional teacher will be allocated to Reception Class in September to support and maintain teaching standards.