Purpose

To approve capital works and associated
funding for schools in North Northampton

Content

RESOLVED

KEY
DECISION
 

That
the Executive: 
 

Delegated to the Executive Director of Children’s
Services, the Director of Law and Governance (Monitoring Officer)
and Executive Director of Finance (s151 officer) in consultation
with the Executive Member of Children, Families, Education and to
take all necessary actions to deliver the projects detailed within
this report. 

 

Noted the request contained in the Capital Update Report
elsewhere on the agenda for budget approval for the following
amounts to be added to the Capital Programme for
2025/26: 

 
·      
Alfred Lord Tennyson School (Alfred Street Campus),
additional budget approval for £925k in 2025/26 to be funded
from a virement from the Schools Condition Allocation budget,
funded by Department of Education Grant. 
·      
Tennyson Road site renovations for Rowan Gate
Primary School, budget approval for £632k in 2025/26, to be
funded £382k from High Needs Grant and £250k from a
virement from the Schools Condition Allocation budget, funded by
Department of Education Grant. 
·      
Latimer Arts College, additional budget approval for
£561k in 2025/26, to be funded from a virement from the
Schools Condition Allocation budget, funded by Department of
Education Grant. 
·      
Prince William School Alternative Provision, budget
approval for £2.59m in 2025/26, to be funded from High Needs
Grant.     

 
 
Reasons for Recommendations: 
 

a)     
The Council’s role as a commissioner of school
places, and the capital costs of securing additional school places
requires that the strategic planning around school place planning
to ensure that processes are transparent and
robust. 

b)     
To ensure that the Council can fulfil its statutory
duties in regard to providing sufficiency of school places in North
Northamptonshire. 

c)     
To ensure that the dependency projects of Alfred
Lord Tennyson School and Rowan Gate Primary Special School proceed
to ensure that the school buildings are suitable and fit for
purpose for the amalgamated school Alfred Lord Tennyson School and
for Rowan Gate Primary Special School. 

d)     
The capital scheme at Latimer will provide
additional places to meet the demand for secondary school places in
Kettering. In recent years a phased project has been in place to
address condition issues in the school. To ensure the most
effective delivery of the final phase of these condition works and
secure additional places it is proposed to combine the two
projects, which will secure better value for
money. 

e)     
The Council is facing significant pressures on the
High Needs Funding Budget, driven in large part by the limited
availability of SEND and Alternative Places Provision across the
Council area. The proposed project at Prince William will deliver
additional capacity and reduce the need for the Council to
commission places with Independent Providers. This will help reduce
the pressure on the High Needs Funding Block moving
forwards. 

 
Alternative Options Considered: Taking no action was rejected as
an option on the basis that the Council has a statutory duty to
secure sufficient school places for all school-aged children. In
recent years the Council has not had strategic planning and
processes around securing new places. New approaches need to be
developed to ensure the confidence of Councillors and the sector in
decisions made around school place planning.