Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Educational Attainment and School Improvement presented the latest six-monthly 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 2021 as well as capital expenditure proposals to progress projects to enhance and improve school provision.  The Cabinet Member advised that there had been a dip in demand for reception-age places, potentially due to Brexit and COVID-19, however numbers were expected to recover within the next two years. 

A review of the impact of new housing developments in the Borough over the next 15 years had been carried out and it was noted that there was a projected 60% increase in school pupil numbers from now until 2036, which equated to a requirement for 26 new primary schools and 9 new secondary schools.  The Cabinet Member advised that, to meet that need, developers would be expected to show in future planning applications how they would meet the need for well positioned, appropriately sized school sites.

The Cabinet Member also advised that the forecast growth of pupils needing additional support through an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) was estimated to be an additional 249 pupils until 2026.

Cabinet Members reflected on the difficult challenge ahead for the Council in achieving such an increased number of school places but were reassured that the forward planning and strategy that had served the Council so well to date would continue to do so for years to come.

Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Approve the inclusion in the Capital Programme of the DfE grant allocations for 2021/22 and 2022/23, as detailed in sections 5, 6 and 7 of the report;

(ii)  Approve the proposed allocation of funding as set out in section 8 and, in particular, paragraph 8.15 of the report, to support the provision of new school places and improvements, some of which need to be ready for September 2021;

(iii)  Delegate authority to the Strategic Director, Children and Adults, acting on advice from the Procurement Board, to approve the final procurement strategies for projects noted in the report; and

(iv)  Delegate authority to the Strategic Director, Children and Adults, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Education Attainment and School Improvement, the Managing Director and the Strategic Director, Law and Governance, to conduct the procurements and award the respective project contracts.