Issue - meetings

Further to Minute 24 (13 July 2021), the Cabinet Member for Educational Attainment and School Improvement presented the latest update report on school places provision and capital investment in educational provision.

The report set out the most up-to-date information on the projected demand for school places for September 2022 and beyond, as well as capital expenditure proposals to enhance and improve the Borough’s schools and the number of places available.  The proposals included the creation of additional Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision to counter the exponential growth in demand in Barking and Dagenham, either in specialised settings for high-needs pupils or within the mainstream school environment via Additional Resource Provisions. 

Cabinet colleagues welcomed the ongoing data analysis work undertaken by officers within the Education service to maintain the balance between demand and provision for school places and the close links that had been established with the Borough’s schools and Be First officers to ensure that new regeneration projects reflected the need for new school provision.

Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Note the actions being taken by officers to identify additional school places across the Borough to meet further demand pressures and the ongoing discussions relating to future provision in the Council’s Local Plan;

(ii)  Approve the proposed changes and allocations of funding as set out in paragraphs 6.2 and 6.3 of the report, to support the provision of new places and improvements;

(iii)  Delegate authority to the Strategic Director, Children and Adults, acting on advice from the Procurement Board, to approve the final procurement strategies for Additional Resource Provisions referred to in section 6 of the report;

(iv)  Delegate authority to the Strategic Director, Children and Adults, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Educational Attainment and School Improvement and the Chief Legal Officer, to conduct the procurements and award the respective project contracts; and

(v)  Note that in accordance with the School Admissions Code 2021, a six-week public consultation was undertaken on the Council’s intention to continue with its existing school admission arrangements for 2023/24 and no adverse comments were received.