Decision details

The Cabinet will be asked to approve a proposed investment strategy for the provision of additional school places in the Borough up to 2020

Further to Minute 51 (13 November 2012), the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services presented a report on the progress of various school expansion projects aimed at addressing the demand for school places in the Borough, together with potential expansion projects at several secondary schools via funding available under the Department for Education (DfE) Targeted Basic Need Programme and 16 to 19 Demographic Capital Growth Fund.

The Council had received £28.1m under the Basic Need Allocation for 2013 to 2015 and it was noted that a further report would be presented to Cabinet on the schemes to be progressed from that allocation.  The Cabinet Member advised that the allocation was approximately £12m below the Council’s projection of the cost of creating a sufficient number of new places to meet demand.  As a result, it was proposed to bid for additional funding for specific projects at Barking Abbey, Eastbury and Robert Clack Comprehensive Schools via the Government’s Targeted Basic Need Programme and a further bid relating to Barking Abbey via the 16 to 19 Demographic Capital Growth Fund.  The report also set out proposals in respect of an area of land owned by the Greater London Authority (GLA) which would be required as part of the Robert Clack expansion project.

In respect of the funding already set aside to support current projects, the Corporate Director of Children’s Services undertook to provide the Cabinet Member for Environment with confirmation of the precise funding for the All Saints School and Technology College project referred to in paragraph 2.3 of the report.

Cabinet agreed:

  (i)  To note the allocation of the Basic Need Grant Funding of £28,104,818 from the DfE to help address the need for additional school places and that a further report would be presented to Cabinet once specific schemes had been identified;

  (ii)  The bid programme as set out at paragraph 4 of the report in respect of the Targeted Basic Need Programme, which met with the original strategy approved by Cabinet on 13 November 2012 and was recommended following consultation with all schools;

 (iii)  The bid proposal, as set out at paragraph 5 of the report, in respect of the 16 to 19 Demographic Capital Growth Fund 2013-15, and noted that the project for Barking Abbey was included in the original strategy document approved on 13 November 2012 and was recommended following consultation with all Secondary Schools and Trinity School;

 (iv)  The purchase of the land known as the Eldonwall site, as shown hatched on plan LOC10 attached as Appendix 1 to the report, to facilitate the expansion of Robert Clack School as detailed in paragraph 2.8 of the report, subject to agreement of terms with the GLA and advice from the Council’s asset management and legal services; and

  (v)  The inclusion in the 2013/14 Capital Programme of the School Improvement Grant for capitalised repairs from the DfE in the sum of £3,633,262, to support the improvement of condition and modernisation of the Borough’s schools and the wider Children’s Services property portfolio.