Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People is attached.

Councillor Lucy Smith, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, presented the report which sought approval for a prescribed alteration to change the age range of Manchester Mesivta Secondary School.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Noted the outcome of the consultation; and

2.    Approved the proposal to alter the upper age range at Manchester Mesivta Secondary School from 11-16 year olds to 11 - 18 year olds in order to add 6th form provision with effect from September 2023.

Reasons for the decision:

To date, the independent 6th form provision linked to Manchester Mesivta School has received funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) routed via sub-contracting arrangements with Bury College. However, the ESFA has advised that it intends to withdraw from this form of sub-contracting arrangement. The Governing Body of the school are therefore seeking to add 6th form provision thus bringing it into the maintained sector. The Governing Body assert that this change is administrative only and is expected to have no direct impact upon their provision.

Demand for the post 16 provision has been proven over the last decade, and Mesivta is currently the community’s only route for Charedi boys to achieve A-levels and access higher education. The school has a good track record of its pupils enrolling in university. Without the 6th form, there is no comparable provision accessible to the Orthodox Jewish community.

Other options considered and rejected:

Extensive discussions have taken place with the Governing Body of Manchester Mesivta, with Bury College, the Education & Skills Funding Agency and Department for Education to identify potential options, given the decision of the ESFA to withdraw the current funding mechanism. Options including the transfer of the current 6th form provision to a Trust, or the establishment of a separate 6th Form provision, both stand-alone or in partnership with other Orthodox Jewish schools have been considered and discounted.