School leaders across Central Bedfordshire have accused Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) of misrepresentation and failing to work collaboratively on critical education plans.
This is according to a follow-up open letter sent to council leader cllr Adam Zerny (Independent, Potton), and a separate feedback report compiled by headteachers.
The original letter was sent in June, which the group described as a “genuine plea and an offer to work in true partnership” with the council.
In this week’s letter, sent on Monday (1 December), the group of education leaders state that after six months of engagement, they feel “fobbed off, misled and misrepresented”.
They say meetings held in September created an impression that their expertise would be integrated into CBC’s strategic planning, but that “this has proven demonstrably untrue”.
The separate feedback report, based on responses from 74 headteachers and education leaders, shows unanimous agreement that CBC should co-construct the education strategy with a representative group drawn from local schools.
100% disagreement
It also records that 100 per cent of the headteachers who responded and had attended the September Cluster Planning Meetings disagreed with the executive member for children’s services Cllr Steve Owen (Independent, Leighton Linslade West).
Cllr Owen’s statement at October’s Executive meeting, when he suggested there had been “no appetite” among school leaders to take part in a working group.
The report includes comments describing this summary as “factually incorrect”, “a sweeping and incorrect assumption”, and “almost completely the opposite to what was said”.
Respondents also raised concerns about a lack of joined-up planning across SEND, transport, school organisation and school improvement.
The open letter states that CBC launched a draft SEND strategy “without any input from school leaders” and that the document was “wholly disconnected” from School Reorganisation and School Improvement plans.
It also cites delays and uncertainty around the Ivel Valley renovation, the Pulloxhill special school project, now not expected to open until 2027, and the viability of Additionally Resourced Provisions, which it says are closing or considering closure.
School leaders further warn that the new home-to-school transport policy is already leading to fewer applications for places, posing a “significant threat” to some schools.
They state that CBC has not provided financial modelling to evidence its claimed savings, despite Freedom of Information requests.
Both documents highlight concerns about CBC’s School Improvement Strategy, with the open letter reporting that a recent draft was “blank in all significant areas” and not expected to be completed until July 2026.
The council and cllr Zerny were asked to respond to these concerns, but did not reply before publication.
By Euan Duncan
Local Democracy Reporter
