Consultation on the Proposal to Merge Ridgeway School and Round Oak School through the Expansion of Ridgeway School and the Closure of Round Oak School

WCC consulted on a proposal to amalgamate two existing special schools, Round Oak (Secondary) and Ridgeway (Primary) to form one all-through special school based across the two school sites.  

The opinion of stakeholders was broadly in support of the merger, however two issues were raised which needed to be considered.

The first was that the proposed name of the merged school would be Ridgeway School. This was of particular concern to pupils and parents of Round Oak School since most had known Ridgeway as the primary school and pupils had left that school to go to secondary school. The use of the Ridgeway name was also perceived by some parents and staff at Round Oak to indicate more of a takeover than an amalgamation. This perception would be unhelpful since the intention is to create a culture in the new school where all staff, pupils and parents feel equally valued.

The second concern raised through consultation was that current leaders in the two schools may not have the capacity to lead and manage the merged school.

Warwickshire County Council Cabinet approved the amalgamation of Ridgeway School and Round Oak School on 14th May 2020 (link to decision)

The amalgamation of the two schools is being undertaken largely as outlined in the proposal.

The two significant matters raised, as detailed above, were considered by leaders and governors of both schools together with WCC officers supporting the process.

It was agreed that pupils and parents should be consulted on a name for the merged school.

It was also agreed that governors from both schools should work together to agree an appropriate staffing structure for the merged school. This would include a new senior leadership team to support the current headteacher of Ridgeway in leading and managing the provision across the two sites.