On Wednesday, we held the eighth meeting of the forum, with the first part dominated by the plans for St Felix Middle School after the fire four weeks ago.

Turning to the organisation review, officers then outlined the broad draft proposals that will be going out to every school in the area.

Personally, from my first meeting with the officers in January and the forum’s initial meetings where we explored a list of ambitious outcomes, I am confident we are on track to deliver a robust and well thought out proposal.

When we initially embarked on this process and the council voted to change from a three to a two-tier system, it was agreed that the single most important aspect to this was making the transition period as seamless as possible.

So we move forward to the second phase of the consultation process between now and Christmas, before the final version is put to the council’s cabinet next year.

I would like to take this opportunity to urge parents, teachers, governors and all members of the community to make their views known when the draft proposals road show visits their local school.

The proposals are a work in progress and are not set in stone. Your opinions and thoughts are extremely important as the proposals continue to be refined.

Help us shape education for our children now and for the future generations to ensure they get the best Suffolk can offer.

Cllr Colin Noble
Suffolk County Council
Row Heath