Issue - meetings

Further to Minute 60 (15 November 2016), the Cabinet Member for Educational Attainment and School Improvement presented an update report in respect of the various school expansion projects aimed at addressing the current and future demand for places in the Borough, as well as the latest funding issues.

The Cabinet Member advised that the Council’s lobbying of the Department for Education (DfE) and Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) had helped secure a Basic Need Grant allocation of £27.436m for 2019/20 for capital works, in addition to new funding for 2017/18 of £5.274m and a further £2.837m across 2018/19 – 2020/21 to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. 

It was noted that there had been a 62% increase in pupil numbers in the Borough since 2005 and the Council’s ambitious regeneration plans meant that new school places would continue to be needed across the Borough.  The Cabinet Member advised on the latest school expansion projects and Members placed on record their appreciation of the ongoing work of Council officers, School representatives and the Borough’s school children for managing the demand pressures and achieving excellent results.

The Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Approve the Future Planning Programme to meet Basic Need (including SEN places) 2017 to 2025 (amended May 2017) as set out in section 1.3 and Appendix 1 of the report;

(ii)  Approve the inclusion in the Capital Programme of the DfE grant allocations for 2017/18 as detailed in section 3 of the report;

(iii)  Approve the various projects and associated changes to the Capital Programme as set out in sections 5 to 9 and summarised in Section 10 of the report;

(iv)  Delegate authority to the Strategic Director for Service Development and Integration to approve the final procurement strategies for each project following their consideration and endorsement by the Procurement Board, in accordance with the Council’s Contract Rules; and

(v)  Delegate authority to the Strategic Director for Service Development and Integration, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Educational Attainment and School Improvement, the Chief Operating Officer and the Director of Law and Governance, to award the respective project contracts.