Proposals to change age range of pupils at school between Horsham and Crawley

Woodgate Primary School in Pease Pottage plans to admit children aged from 2-11 years, instead of 4-11 with effect from May this year.

The proposal follows the relocation of Warninglid Primary School in September 2021 to Pease Pottage, and its change of name to Woodgate Primary. West Sussex County Council and the Governors of the school have now launched a public consultation on the change of age range.

Woodgate Nursery opened in January last year serving pre-school children from two years and six months of age to four years of age. The change in age range would formally incorporate Woodgate Nursery into the school.

The Governing Body of Woodgate Primary agreed to convert to become an Academy under the Sussex Learning Trust in the autumn term in 2022 and the Academy Order was agreed with the Department for Education and the Trust in September.

Woodgate nursery is a Governor-led pre-school which is run in a purpose-built classroom in the Woodgate Primary school building but conversion of the legal status of the school does not automatically include the nursery.

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In its public consultation documents, West Sussex County Council says: “The Department for Education has advised that a change of age range is required for the nursery to transfer with the school to become part of the academy trust.”

It says that any staff changes would be dealt with ‘fairly and sensitively.’

The school is expected to become an academy in June.