Decision details

The Cabinet will be asked to approve proposals relating to a programme of school capital investment and the availability of new grant funding.

Cabinet resolved:

(i)  To approve the Strategy for Ensuring Sufficient School Places and School Modernisation and Future Planning Programme to meet Basic Need (including SEN places) 2013 to 2020 as set out at Appendices 1 and 2 to the report;

(ii)  To the inclusion of the following sums in the 2014/15 Capital Programme, as allocated by the DfE and attributable to the Local Authority, for the projects set out in section 4 of the report:

Universal Infant Free School Meals Capital Investment - £708,101

Basic Need Grant for School Places - £14,052,409

Devolved Formula Capital - £628,342

Maintenance/Modernisation 2014/15 - £3,557,629

(iii)  To approve the use of £9.3m of Targeted Basic Need Programme funding to be directed to the project to increase capacity at Sydney Russell School and extend the age range of the School to cover 3 to 19 years of age, the DfE having agreed to support this project in principle, as detailed in paragraphs 5.1 and 5.2 of the report;

(iv)  To approve a change in procurement route for the project at Robert Clack School, for the reasons set out in paragraph 5.3 of the report, in favour of the Government’s Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Lot 7 Framework for Modularised Construction;

(v)  To approve a change in procurement route for the project at Barking Riverside, for the reasons set out in section 6 of the report, in favour of the Government’s Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Lot 7 Framework for Modularised Construction, subject to securing appropriate land;

(vi)  To approve the proposed transfer of the management of the community facilities at Castle Green to Jo Richardson Community School from April 2015 on the terms detailed in section 7 of the report and to authorise the Corporate Director of Children’s Services, in consultation with the Chief Finance Officer, the Head of Legal and Democratic Services and the Cabinet Members for Finance and Education and Schools, to enter into all necessary agreements to facilitate the transfer;

(vii)  To approve the inclusion in the Capital Programme of the projects identified in section 8 of the report up to a value of £15m;

(viii)  To authorise the Chief Finance Officer to confirm to the DfE and EfA the decision to support the increased classroom sizes as part of the projects at Eastbury Comprehensive School and Eastbrook Comprehensive School, subject to confirmation from the School Governing Bodies; and

(ix)  To authorise the Corporate Director of Children’s Services, in consultation with the Chief Finance Officer, the Head of Legal and Democratic Services and the Cabinet Member for Education and Schools, to award the respective project contracts set out in the report based on the checked and independently validated prices.