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In the paragraph headed "NEW SCHOOL SITE" it states that the planning officers prefer the 'Rhubarb Field' for the new school. 
On initial consultation the planners did indicate that the site next to Rowberrys was the least preferable in planning terms and that they would prefer a site within the village for a new village school, however the application which has been submitted is for a primary school to serve the rural area between Bromsgrove, Kidderminster and Droitwich and this, in addition to all the other information which has been supplied, will change the criteria with which the planning officers will now judge the application and hopefully enable them to recommend approval by the District Planning Committee. 
The Newsletter says that the Foundation has asked the Parish Council to support the application. 
We need to point out that there has been no formal request to the Parish Council to support the application. 
Indeed the Parish Council cannot voice an opinion until the plans are put before them and it is important for maximum impact of the Parish Council's opinion that they do not. Any prejudgement could seriously harm the Foundation's application on the community's preferred site. 

In the paragraph "THE PRESENT SCHOOL SITE" it states that the Education Foundation will be encouraged to retain the existing school building for Community Use. 
The Foundation is an educational charity with strict areas of benefit of which, unfortunately, community use is not one. In a letter to the Charity Commission dated 14th October 1997 the Foundation requested that the class of beneficiaries be extended to include a provision whereby surplus income might be applied towards the general benefit of the inhabitants of the Parish. 
In their reply of 11th November 1997 the Charity Commission stated that they would not consider making a scheme to amend the charity's objects unless the current objects had either completely or partially failed which clearly they have not. By law the Trustees of the Foundation have to gain the best return they can from their investments otherwise they can be personally surcharged for mismanagement of the Charity. 
Unless the suggestions of affordable housing, car park, a village green, play area or extension to the Parish Burial Ground fall within the objects of the charity as stated in the governing scheme or they give the maximum financial benefit possible for the Foundation that conditions permit then charity law will prohibit the Trustees from developing the current site in the ways suggested. 
The Foundation has not decided on how to deal with the old site. As part of the planning application for the new school they have stated that it would be developed for housing. The Foundation have made no secret of the fact that they would like to retain ownership in order to have some control over its future use but, if the financial demands of the main object of the Foundation, that is the school, requires that the land be sold then these aspirations may not work out. However, there is a lot of water to pass under the bridge before it can be stated, as it does in the Newsletter, that "…present indications are that it may be sold for housing". 

Finally in the paragraph "AFFORDABLE PROPERTIES IN THE PARISH" the Newsletter states that the Education Foundation has properties available at reduced rents. 
This is not correct. 
The Foundation owns two properties only which are subject to a Section 106 agreement controlling the rents and limiting their occupancy to local people. These are currently occupied and are therefore not available. 
None of the other properties owned by the Foundation are subject to any restriction on occupancy or limitation of rent so the Trustees must, by law, seek the maximum rent possible from these properties. Anyone wishing to register an interest in renting a property from the Foundation when any becomes available, should contact the Foundation's agents, Doolittle and Dalley, on 01562 700300.

We have requested that the Parish Council do not permit any item regarding the Foundation to be published in future newsletters without, as a minimum requirement, first obtaining clearance from the Chairman of the Foundation but preferably all the Trustees before going to print. 

Yours sincerely, 
Harry Grove - Chairman                     David Mills - Vice Chairman

What is the Chaddesley Corbett Educational Foundation?
There has been a school in Chaddesley Corbett since the Middle Ages. The earliest record is of a gift for the school’s maintenance from William Newman in about the year 1500. In 1528, during the reign of Henry VIIIth, the parish was visited by a Commission of Investigation and extensive properties were identified which the parishioners alleged had always gone to a priest who “did use to teach the children of the Parish”.
A century later, in 1632, the Commissioners of Charitable Uses listed in detail land which had “long before been given by divers persons, for the maintenance of a free school of one master and one usher, to teach and instruct youth in good literature and learning”. The Commissioners ordered that out of the rents which then amounted to £45 per year, £24 per year be paid to the master and £10 per
year to the usher. This compares to the similar orders by the Commissioners for the stipends at the Queen Elizabeth’s School in Worcester of £16 and £8 respectively and to the master of Bromsgrove School of £11, without the provision of an usher.
By 1785 the master and the usher had been provided free accommodation but it was not until 1809 that the stipend for the master was increased to £40 and for the usher to £20 when the new school was built (now Year 1 Classroom). At that time there were 35 children in the upper school and 45 in the lower school. In the upper school they were taught reading, writing and arithmetic and in the lower school the children were taught reading only. The Children in the Upper School paid 1 shilling each per year to cover the cost of heating but the children in the lower school were educated free of charge.
In 1832 a report by the Charity Commissioners listed the trust as owning 131 acres of land with four houses, five almshouses, school master’s house, the workhouse, five small tenements in Chaddesley Village and three in Cakebold.
This gave a rental income of £312 per annum. The trustees had £67 12s 6d in the treasurer’s account and £546 3s 10d on deposit with Rufford & Co. bankers of Stourbridge. £334 of this was lost in 1852 when Rufford’s Bank failed.
In 1849 upon the retirement of the then Headteacher, John Wigley, at the age of 75 years, the Trustees appointed Mr Edmund Beresford, the second master of the Birmingham Blue Coat School, and in a few months revolutionised the school expanding the subjects taught and making Chaddesley Corbett school ..

“very up-todate and modern. Pupils poured in not only from Chaddesley but from surrounding parishes including Belbroughton, Rushock, Elmbridge, Upton Warren, Elmley and Stone and even from Kidderminster and Bromsgrove where the endowed Grammar Schools still remained fossilised. From long distances and other counties came borders and others who made homes with local connections.”

These are the words of a certain Mr Noake in 1852 a reporter on the Worcester Herald. By 1862 there were 46 boys in the upper school, 47 in the lower school and 68 girls in recently built girls school (now Spencer House) all taught free of cost. The success of the school continued and a new school was built in 1894. In 1878 the charitable scheme was replaced with a new scheme called the Chaddesley Corbett
Endowed Schools Foundation which was further amended in 1900 and put a greater emphasis on the educational element of the trust which had previously existed also for the relief of the poor. The scheme was again revised in 1955 and the name changed to the Chaddesley Corbett Educational Foundation. 
Today the trust has assets valued at just under £2million. The prime object of benefit is the School of the Foundation but the Trust can also provide educational grants to persons resident in the area of the Ancient Parish of Chaddesley Corbett who have not attained the age of 25 years and who in the opinion of the Trustees are in need of financial assistance.

The dwellings and agricultural holdings funding the trust are now regulated by Chaddesley Corbett Educational Foundation, which is a registered Charitable Body. This consists of Trustees who administer the Foundation and direct its resources - maintaining its assets and distributing surplus income to improve the educational circumstances of future, present, as well as past students of Chaddesley School. The Trust employ the firm of Doolittle & Dalley to act as its agents with regards the supervision and maintenance of its properties.

Educational Foundation Trustees
Mr. C. Rowberry (Chairman)    Mr. D. Spencer (Vice Chairman)    Mrs. V. Adams    Mrs. M.Y. Cox    Rev. J. Cox    
Mr. H. Grove    Mr. D. Mills    Mr. A. Page    Mr. S. Clee    Mr. S. Williams    Mr. M. Wood
Hon. Secretary - Mrs. M. Green
Agents - Mr. D. Hall & Mr. R. Hall 

Activities
In recent years, the Trust has paid for an enclosed, heated Swimming Pool to be built at Chaddesley School, and it still supports this project by funding annual-maintenance and repairs.
The Trust has also been responsible for the extension of the school to accommodate a Reception, with associated play-areas.
Latterly, funding has been made available to assist the Headteacher with temporary staffing alterations.
Planned expenditure will be targeted at re-establishing the School's Playing Fields (Grading, Cultivating and Re-Turfing)  and also in supporting particular projects suggested by the School Governors and Headteacher.

Past students (up to the age of 25) now occupied in further educational courses, make regular application to the Foundation for Grants to cover the purchase of books and materials relevant to their course work, or for the 'Tools of their Trade' in Apprenticeship Schemes

The Foundation acknowledges its role as landlord of many Chaddesley residents and carries-out its responsibilities of property maintenance, repair & decoration in accordance with the 'Fair Rents' legislation, the requirements of the Charity Commission and its original philanthropic philosophy.

CHADDESLEY CORBETT EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
Wyre Forest Education Review
On 20th January 2005 the Worcestershire County Council, being the Local Education Authority, gave notice that it intended to:- discontinue, according to section 29 (1) of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, Chaddesley Corbett Endowed First School (Voluntary Aided).
In the official notice the following statement was also printed:-
'The Chaddesley Corbett Educational Foundation in accordance with section 28 (2) of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 intends to establish a new Voluntary Aided primary school for up to 210 boys and girls aged 5-11 at The Village, Chaddesley Corbett, Kidderminster, DY10 4SD occupying the same buildings as the current Chaddesley Corbett Endowed First School with temporary additional accommodation made available while options for a new site for a purpose built primary school are explored. The number of children to be admitted at age 5 in September 2007 and subsequent years will be 30.'
The Chaddesley Corbett Educational Foundation had previously been notified of the Local Education Authority’s intention to close the existing endowed First School and reopen a Primary School on the current site to serve the rural area to the north of Kidderminster and, in October 2004, representatives of the Trust attended a meeting with representatives of the Local Education Authority (LEA) to hear their proposals. 
The Foundation was given the option to agree, or not, to the new Primary School being voluntary aided and, as the main objective of the Foundation is the school, they stated that they wished the new school to be endowed by the Foundation. The Trustees strongly believe that their involvement is extremely important to ensure the interests of Chaddesley Corbett Village specifically and the community generally are given prime consideration in any changes implemented by the LEA.  The Trust has made it very clear to the LEA that in their opinion an extension to the current site to enable two extra year groups is not feasible without a plan to manage the additional traffic and consequential parking problems. It is following pressure from the Trust that the LEA agreed to an addendum in their published  statement regarding the exploration of options for a new site.
On 11th April the Schools Organisation Committee met and ratified the decision of the Worcestershire County Council to accept the proposals of the Wyre Forest Review so the green light has now been officially given and plans can be firmly laid for the future.
As the future of the school in Chaddesley Corbett is of considerable importance to the future of Chaddesley Corbett itself the Trustees of the Educational Foundation intend to keep all interested parties informed by reporting progress and decisions regularly in the Parish Magazine and on the Chaddesley Corbett web-site at www.chaddesley-corbett.co.uk
If at any time a Parishioner has constructive comments to make they are encouraged to write to 
     Mrs M Green, 
     Clerk to the Chaddesley Corbett Educational Foundation, 
     Southlands, 
     The Pound, 
     Bluntington, 
     Chaddesley Corbett DY10 4QL 
in order that their comments can be communicated to the Trustees.

Update: 1st February 2006
Regrettably, not much progress was made in December. Following the completion and submission to the Wyre Forest Planning Department of the report on why the present school site is unsuitable for a new school, a traffic assessment on the preferred site has been commissioned from specialists in this field, Buro Happold. This will be carried out in late January. The Highways Authority are against this site and are likely to make strong objections unless all highways access requirements are fully complied with. Buro Happold will establish the criteria and estimate the cost of the necessary work.

All this preliminary work is costing money, and the question has been asked as to where the funding is coming from. The Local Education Authority made the decision to go from a First to a Primary School in Chaddesley, and they will provide the greatest proportion of the cost. However, because the Trustees decided that they would like to have a continuing influence on the type of school the village should have, the Education Trust has had to make a commitment to contribute a share of the overall cost. For instance, the Trust will purchase the site, and will pay for any extras above the standard L.E.A. Primary school specification. The L.E.A. has budgeted £2.5m for the basic school, and the Trust is responsible for 10% of the cost. The costs incurred to date are part of this 10%.

David Mills
Project Leader

Chaddesley Corbett Primary School – Update (September 2005)

The meeting with the Wyre Forest District Council Planning officers took place on Tuesday 26th July, when the business case for a new school on a new site was made.

The Planning Officers first asked why the present site could not accommodate the expansion of the school from a First to a Primary school. Following the meeting, the Architects presented an analysis of the present site to the Planning Officers, detailing the reasons why it could not cope with the enlargement.

On Monday 15th August the Officers came to the village to check out all 9 potential sites, and also to look over the present site and the adjacent land and buildings. They have said that they will report their views to the Trustees by the end of the month.

As stated in last month's magazine, a public presentation of the proposals will be made, so that Parishioners can have the opportunity to comment. However, a number of people have said that they would be unable to come on the suggested date of September 21st, so the presentation has now been arranged to take place in the school hall from 3.00pm to 7.00pm on Friday 30th September.

David Mills - Project Leader

This month has seen the completion of the report by the architects giving the reasons why the present First School site would be unsuitable for the enlarged Primary School.

The report was sent to the Wyre Forest District Planners and the Highways Partnership, and was discussed with members of the project team and the architects at a meeting held on Thursday 17th November. The Planners asked for clarification on a number of points, none of which cannot be answered. They pointed out that because any new site would involve development in the Green Belt, the reasons for not extending the school on the present site must be beyond question.

The possible alternative sites were also discussed, and guidance given to the architects on the way that our preferred choice should be presented, and the ifficulties that may be encountered.

So, a lot more work still to be done, even before a Planning Application can be submitted.

David Mills – Project Leader.