Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Cabinet Member for Children, Families & Education.

The Council has an enduring statutory responsibility to commission sufficient high quality school places. This document is the third annual revision of our plan and sets out how we will carry out our responsibility, in line with the commitments made in the Borough Plan and School Strategy to ensure there are sufficient places in good and improving local inclusive schools at the heart of the community that children and families want to go to. This means having the right number and type of school places, in the right place, at the right time to meet demand.

The Cabinet is recommended to:-

(1) Agree the terms outlined in the strategy and the associated investment detailed in the Education Asset Management Plan (Appendix 2).

(2) Delegate authority to the Director for Development and Regeneration to procure the works and services, and subsequently determine the outcome of any contract award process for any project specified in the asset management plan.

(3) Delegate authority to the Director for Education, Work, and Skills and Deputy Chief Executive to enter into funding agreements with schools and to release basic need funding to schools who are working with the LA to create additional mainstream or resource base places as specified in the 2023/24 asset management plan approved by Cabinet in January 2023 and the 2024/25 asset management plan in Appendix 2 of this report.

(4) Delegate authority to the Director of Education, Work, and Skills and Deputy Chief Executive to determine the allocation of up to £2m of basic need funds to schools who work with the LA to create additional mainstream or resource base places in the secondary phase.

(5) Delegate authority to the Director for Education, Work, and Skills and Deputy Chief Executive to enter into funding agreements with schools determined in the above and to release basic need funding to those schools.

Officer Contact: Chris Harland on 0161 474 3694 or email: christopher.harland@stockport.gov.uk 

The Cabinet Member for Children, Families & Education (Councillor Wendy Meikle) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) detailing a proposed school investment plan that set out how the council would carry out its responsibility to ensure there were sufficient places in good and improving local inclusive schools at the heart of the community that children and families want to go to.

RESOLVED - (1) That approval be given to the terms outlined in the strategy and the associated investment detailed in the Education Asset Management Plan (Appendix 2).

(2) That authority be delegated to the Director for Development and Regeneration to procure the works and services, and subsequently determine the outcome of any contract award process for any project specified in the asset management plan.

(3) That authority be delegated to the Director for Education, Work, and Skills and Deputy Chief Executive to enter into funding agreements with schools and to release basic need funding to schools who are working with the LA to create additional mainstream or resource base places as specified in the 2023/24 asset management plan approved by Cabinet in January 2023 and the 2024/25 asset management plan in Appendix 2 of this report.

(4) That authority be delegated to the Director of Education, Work, and Skills and Deputy Chief Executive to determine the allocation of up to £2m of basic need funds to schools who work with the LA to create additional mainstream or resource base places in the secondary phase.

(5) That authority be delegated to the Director for Education, Work, and Skills and Deputy Chief Executive to enter into funding agreements with schools determined in the above and to release basic need funding to those schools.

To consider a report of the Director of Education, Work, and Skills.

The report provides details relating to the school investment plan and sets out how we will carry out our responsibility, in line with the commitments made in the Borough Plan and School Strategy to ensure there are sufficient places in good and improving local inclusive schools at the heart of the community that children and families want to go to.

The Scrutiny Committee is asked to:-

a)    Endorse the terms outlined in the strategy and the associated investment detailed in the Education Asset Management Plan (Appendix 2).

b)    Recommend to Cabinet to delegate authority to the Director for Development and Regeneration, in consultation with members of the Local Authority’s Capital Board to procure the works and services, and subsequently determine the outcome of any contract award process for any project specified in the asset management plan.

c)    Recommend to Cabinet to delegate authority to the Director for Education, Work, and Skills to enter into funding agreements with schools and to release basic need funding to schools who are working with the Local Authority to create additional mainstream or resource base places as specified in the 2023/24 asset management plan approved by Cabinet in January 2023 and the 2024/25 asset management plan in Appendix 2 of this report.

d)    Recommend to Cabinet to delegate authority to the Director of Education, Work, and Skills to determine the allocation of up to £2m of basic need funds to schools who work with the Local Authority to create additional mainstream or resource base places in the secondary phase.

e)    Recommend to Cabinet to delegate authority to the Director for Education, Work, and Skills to enter into funding agreements with schools determined in the above and to release basic need funding to those schools.

Officer contact: Christopher Harland | 0161 521 1707 | christopher.harland@stockport.gov.uk

The Director of Education, Work & Skills submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) detailing how the Council would carry out its responsibility, in line with the commitments made in the Borough Plan and School Strategy to ensure there were sufficient places in good and improving local inclusive schools at the heart of the community that children and families wanted to go to.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education (Councillor Wendy Meikle) attended the meeting to respond to questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         There was a significant shortfall in funding which limited the Council’s ability to address the challenges within the school estate.

·         It was known that children thrived within good environments, and the report clearly demonstrates the ability of schools to organise flexibly diminished as problems arose with the condition of buildings.

·         There was a need to maintain sufficient available capacity within the school place system to provide the necessary flexibility so that the system could operate effectively.

·         Increasing costs of labour and materials was reducing the scope of what could be achieved with the available finance.

·         The 150 additional school places previously planned to be introduced at Bramhall High School had now been secured elsewhere following the discovery of reinforced, aerated, autoclaved concrete at the school.

·         It was noted that demand for places in the primary sector had now levelled off and work needed to be done to ensure that schools remained viable.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.