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 to:

(i)  Approve the Future Planning Programme to meet Basic Need (including SEN places) 2014 to 2020 as set out in section 2 and Appendix A to the report, subject to a review of the need for additional school places in the eastern areas of the Borough, particularly covering Chadwell Heath and Eastbrook wards, in relation to the projects from September 2017 onwards;

(ii)  Approve the reallocation within the Capital Programme of £11.2m Targeted Basic Need Programme funding to support expansion projects at All Saints, Jo Richardson and Robert Clack secondary schools as set out in section 3 of the report, and to reallocate Basic Need grant previously allocated to the All Saints and Jo Richardson projects towards the Robert Clack project;

(iii)  Approve the inclusion in the Capital Programme of the DfE grant allocations for 2015/16 as detailed in section 4 of the report;

(iv)  Approve an additional allocation of Basic Need funding of £5.7m for the purchase of land associated with the expansion of Robert Clack School and other increased project costs for inclusion in the Capital Programme for 2016/17, as set out in section 5 of the report;

(v)  Agree the inclusion of £850,000 in the Capital Programme to support the provision of nursery places for two year olds in accordance with the DfE approval, as detailed in section 6 of the report;

(vi)  Note the anticipated funding via the DfE Priority Schools Building Programme towards the projects at Eastbury Community School and Eastbrook Comprehensive School as set out in section 7 of the report, and authorise the Chief Finance Officer to make the appropriate provision within the Capital Programme once confirmation of the allocation is received from the DfE;

(vii)  Agree the principle of a loan to Partnership Learning Trust, which runs Riverside School, to support the building of the school in the timescales needed by the Council to meet demand, and to authorise the Chief Finance Officer, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance, the Cabinet Member and Education and Schools and the Corporate Director of Children’s Services, to agree the final terms of a loan, as referred to in section 8 of the report;

(viii)  Note the transfer of the management of the community facilities at Castle Green to Jo Richardson Community School in accordance with Minute 124 (vi) (30 June 2014);

(ix)  Agree, in principle, to the relocation of the Adult College from the Fanshawe site to the site adjacent to Sydney Russell School in Parsloes Avenue and confirm that the shared facilities at Fanshawe should be developed for primary school facilities and the Community Music Service, with the school facility to be operated by Sydney Russell School, as referred to in section 10 of the report;

(x)  Approve the reprofiling of projects within the Capital Programme to reflect appropriate adjustments to schemes, as detailed in section 11 of the report;

(xi)  Agree the procurement principles as set out in section 16.2 of the report and authorise the Corporate Director of Children’s Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Education and Schools, the Chief Finance Officer and the Head of Legal and Democratic Services, to award the respective project contracts; and

(xii)  Request the Corporate Director of Children’s Services to present a further paper to Cabinet in June which provides further detail on demand, financial planning and options for all school building projects due to open from September 2017 onwards.