Purpose

To
note the demand for places and agree the resources and the Capital
Programme

Content

Noted
the projected demand for primary, secondary and Post
16 school places in the borough and the proposed arrangements for
managing projected trends from 2024/25 and beyond, as detailed in
paragraphs 4.29 to 4.62 of the report (see also the Primary School
Data Annex as Appendix A of the report).
 
Noted
the projected demand and proposals for meeting the
growing demand for specialist places in the borough for children
and young people with special educational needs and disabilities
(SEND) across all phases of education, including Post 16 (see
paragraphs 4.63 to 4.93 of the report).
 
Noted
that since the last Place Planning and Capital
Programme report in November 2023, the Council has successfully
completed a free school presumption process for the establishment
of a new all-through special free school in Greenwich, and based on
the Council’s recommendation, the Department for Education
(DfE) has appointed Compass Partnership of Schools (CPS) as the
academy sponsor for the new school.  The
secondary and sixth-form phase of the new free school is now being
delivered at Hargood Road SE3 (a former primary school site),
whilst a site for the primary phase is yet to be identified (see
paragraphs 4.79 to 4.82 of the report).
 
Further to the paragragh above,
delegated to the Director of Place and Growth in
consultation with the Director of Children’s Services and
Director of Legal Services, the authority to:
 

a)  Negotiate and agree
the specific terms for transferring the Hargood Road site under the
125-year academy lease at a peppercorn rent to CPS, in line with
all relevant statutory requirements as set out by the DfE (see
paragraph 4.79 of the report).

 

b)  Engage in necessary
activities and negotiations required to identify a suitable site
for the development of the primary phase of the new all-through
special free school (see paragraph 4.82 of the report).
 
Delegated
to the Director of Children’s Services the
authority to facilitate the expansion of the Woolwich Polytechnic
School for Boys’ (WPSB) (part of PolyMAT), subject to the
necessary DfE approval, to deliver a designated specialist
provision (DSP) for children and young people diagnosed with
Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD).
 
Noted
that on 12 March 2025, Cabinet agreed for a part of
the De Lucy Primary School site to be repurposed for the delivery
of the MLD provision and delegated the authority to negotiate and
agree the terms of the required lease to the relevant chief
officers.
 
Delegated
to the Director of Children’s Services the
authority to facilitate the expansion of Newhaven School’s
Kings Park Campus, including undertaking a statutory consultation,
to increase the number of specialist secondary places to further
support the Council’s delivery of its sufficiency duties for
children and young people with SEND.
 
Noted
the development of a pilot scheme to establish new
primary designated special provisions for up to four primary
schools in the borough, and delegated to the Director of
Place and Growth in consultation with the Director of
Children’s Services and Director of Legal Services, the
authority to negotiate and agree the terms of any property related
leases and/or agreements required with the schools (see paragraph
4.85 of the report).
 
Noted
the urgent need for additional capital resources to
fully implement the priorities outlined in this report, due to
Royal Greenwich receiving a Basic Need (BN) allocation of
£nil for 2024/26 and the uncertainty of the DfE’s
announcement on High Needs Provision Capital Allocation (HNPCA) for
the period beyond 2024/25.
 
Subject to any necessary
consultation with the Schools’ Forum, delegated to the
Director of Children’s Services and Director Place and Growth
the authority to vary the School Capital Programme, as may be
required to address future needs within the agreed level of
resources.