This consultation asks for your views about extending the age range of St Michael’s C of E Primary School, from 3-11 to 2-11 for 1 September 2025.

By extending the age range of the school, the opportunities for the children within the village to access early education are maximised and there is operational and financial resilience within the School to implement and sustain this change. As the Nursery Class is based in the former Steventon pre-school building, the space is already equipped to accommodate children aged 2½ and as such no remedial alterations to the fabric of the building will be required. 

The Early Years curriculum and goals can be looked at from age 2½ to age 5, giving children a smooth start to their education from starting Nursery into KS1, and then KS2.

We know that there are a shortage of places of children before they reach 3years of age and that with the Government introduction of more funded places in Early Years settings that this has increased the demand. A survey of parents within our school community has suggested that there is already local demand for this age range change.

The leadership and governance arrangements already in place for our Nursery Class will remain and the headteacher of the school will be held to account for the work of all areas of the School by the local academy board (LAB) and Trust CEO.

We want to know what questions or concerns you might have and whether you would support this proposal to merge, or not. 

Please send any comments to enquiries@abingdonlearningtrust.org or office@stmichaelsprimary.school titled ‘Age Range Consultation’, or via letter in an envelope marked ‘Age Range Consultation’ to the School.  Your consultation responses should be received by Friday 16^th May.

This letter is available on the websites of St Michael’s School and Abingdon Learning Trust. There are some FAQs that follow, which we hope will be helpful.

At the end of the consultation period, all responses will be collated and discussed by both the Local Academy Committee and the Abingdon Learning Trust trustees.

At that point the decision whether to go ahead with the change of age range, or not, will be taken.