Issue - meetings

Further to Minute 117 of the last meeting, the Cabinet Member for Education and Schools presented an update report in respect of the various school expansion projects aimed at addressing the demand for school places in the Borough, focussing in particular on the provision for 2017 and beyond.

The Cabinet Member alluded to the Council’s financial responsibilities in relation to all schools in the Borough, including Academy and Free Schools, and the restrictions faced by the Council when considering additional pupil provision.  The Council’s preferred approach had, and continued to be, the expansion of the existing school portfolio as that was strongly believed to be the best way forward.  Attention was also drawn to the risk management assessment in the body of the report which reflected the pressures faced by the Council.

The Cabinet Member referred to proposed secondary school projects at Eastbrook, Gascoigne, Dagenham Park and Warren Schools and advised that a review of post-16 (sixth form) provision was also being undertaken.  In response to an enquiry, the Cabinet Member confirmed that although the Borough was not immune from the national problems associated with the recruitment of teaching staff, the reputation of the Borough’s schools meant that prospective candidates viewed Barking and Dagenham positively and schools were able to recruit good quality teaching staff.

The Leader was pleased to advise that despite the pressures on the Borough’s schools, Barking and Dagenham had achieved the highest percentage of first preference placements of Reception Year pupils across London for the new 2015/16 academic year. 

Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Note the position regarding the establishment of new schools as set out in the report;

(ii)  Endorse the principles of the projected forecast demand for school places and note the Council’s position in the overall growth of London;

(iii)  Support the review of place demand for post-16 provision, noting the expected need for additional places by 2018; and

(iv)  Agree that the post September 2017 projects set out in section 5 of the report that are at an early stage of planning be included in the Future Planning of School Places development programme, including the establishment of a Free School, to be known as Greatfields School, following approval by the Department for Education.