Purpose

Reason for the decision

 
This
proposal to expand Leigh Academy has been developed because the
Kent Commissioning Plan 2024/28 indicates that there will be a
shortfall in year 7 places in the Dartford and Swanley
non-selective planning group.
 
To
support KCC to mitigate against this shortfall, Leigh Academy
agreed to increase its PAN from 240 to offer 270 places for
September 2023, September 2024 and September 2025.
 
Following further discussions, Leigh Academy agreed to offer 300
places from 2026, subject to a physical expansion. This proposal
seeks to facilitate the expansion by building a standalone block,
and to enable various internal and external works.  The Trust, senior leadership team and governors of
Leigh Academy agreed to consult on this proposal to permanently
expand the school and enlarge the secondary provision within the
school by the addition of 60 places per school year.
 
Leigh
Academy, part of the Leigh Academy Trust (LAT), is a co-ed
secondary school.  Following an
inspection that took place in April 2023, Ofsted deems Leigh
Academy to be a ‘GOOD’ school.
 
 
A
decision is required now to allow internal modifications to Leigh
existing building to be undertaken, which will allow the school to
continue to admit an increased cohort from September 2024 and to
begin work on external areas of the site.  The funding will also allow KCC to enter into a
contract to undertake the requisite feasibility studies and design
work for the main scheme to produce a new standalone block on
site.  A separate decision will be taken
by the Cabinet Member in due course to agree the overall funding of
the scheme.  The estimated costs are
explained below.
 
If no
further action is taken in the longer term, Kent County Council
will find it extremely difficult to provide sufficient secondary
school places in the Dartford and Swanley non-selective planning
group.
 

Background
 
Dartford
Borough’s population is increasing with more families moving
into the area and as a result, Kent County Council needs to add
additional secondary school places to manage the increase in
demand. One strategy for providing additional school places is to
expand existing successful and popular schools.
 
The 2FE
expansion is to be facilitated by internal alterations to the
existing main school building, along with construction of a new
teaching block at the front of the site to provide the level of
accommodation required in accordance with BB103.  The existing tennis courts will be relocated to
facilitate the construction of the new standalone
block.  These internal and external
works will be undertaken by LAT and the funding for the works will
be passported to LAT from the CYPE Capital Budget, subject to a
binding funding agreement being signed. 
KCC will directly deliver the standalone block and related Highways
mitigations, should they be required.
 
In order
to accommodate the ongoing 2FE expansion, Leigh Academy have
committed to an increased PAN in September 2024 (in line with
September 2023), however this increased PAN requires an initial
phase of internal alteration works to be undertaken to facilitate
an increase in pupil numbers.
 
Any
works undertaken by the Academy are to be overseen by the appointed
KCC Consultant team.
 

Securing Kent’s Future
 
The
'Securing Kent's Future' strategy outlines the measures that KCC
intend to take to ensure that Kent remains financially stable, now
and long into the future.  It describes
the statutory priorities, one of which being the statutory duty to
ensure sufficient school places are available to any child or young
person who requires one.  This duty
applies to Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision, as well as
mainstream settings.
 
This
proposal is necessary for KCC to continue to deliver the statutory
duty, in a cost-effective way, in line with the guidelines
described in the Securing Kent's Future strategy. It will help to
maintain KCC’s strategic role in supporting schools in Kent
to deliver accessible, high quality education provision for all
families.
 
The
County Council’s Commissioning Plan for Education Provision
in Kent 2024-28 is a five-year rolling plan which is updated
annually.  It sets out KCC’s
future plans as Strategic Commissioner of Education Provision
across all types and phases of education in Kent. A copy of the
latest plan can be viewed from this link:
 

https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/education-provision/education-provision-plan
 
 

Financial Implications
 

Capital
 
The
total cost of the expansion is estimated to be £10.5m,
including both KCC and LAT spend which is to be allocated from the
CYPE Capital Budget.   This sum has
been included within the Basic Need Capital Programme that was
recently agreed by Council. KCC will investigate whether other
funding sources can be accessed, such as Community Infrastructure
Levy, once full costs are known.
 
An
allowance of up to £2,500 may be payable to the school, to
outfit each new teaching room with appropriate ICT equipment, such
as touch screens or projection equipment.  This will be met from the overall Capital
allocation for this project.
 
Should
the scheme not proceed through to completion, any costs incurred at
the time of cessation would become abortive costs and are likely to
be recharged to Revenue. This would be reported through the regular
financial monitoring reports to Cabinet.
 

Revenue

 
The
school would also receive funding for the additional pupils that it
admits in line with the funding allocated to schools through
KCC’s Schools Funding Formula.
 
As the
scheme progresses, £6,000 per newly created learning space,
would be provided towards the cost of furniture and equipment, such
as tables, desks, chairs, cabinets and learning
resources.
 
Both of
these revenue allocations will be met from the Growth Funding
provision held within the dedicated school's grant.
 

Human

 
The
school will appoint additional staff as required; utilising revenue
funding allocated through the Schools Funding Formula for these
additional pupils.

Decision

As Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, I agree
to:

 
I.         
APPROVE the expansion of Leigh Academy by 2FE,
 

II.         AGREE to
allocate £425,000, subject to a binding funding agreement,
from the CYPE Capital Budget to the Leigh Academy Trust (LAT),
to:
 

a.           
enable design work for the essential internal and
external works

 

b.           
enable LAT to undertake essential internal
modification works, during 2024.
 

III.        AGREE to
allocate £975,000 from the CYPE Capital Budget, to enable KCC
to undertake feasibility checks, design, plan, cost and tender for
the project to construct      a new standalone block, from
June 2024

 

IV.       DELEGATE authority
to the Director of Infrastructure to, in consultation with the
  Director of Education, enter into any
necessary contracts or other legal agreements,           as
required to implement this decision; and
 
V.         
AGREE for the Director of Infrastructure to be the nominated
Authority        Representative
within the relevant agreements, with authority to enter variations
as envisaged under the contracts.