Purpose

The Council has an
enduring statutory responsibility to commission sufficient high
quality school places. This document is the third iteration 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 will be
asked to give approval to the Plan.

Content

The Cabinet has
considered a proposed school investment plan that sets out how the
council will carry out its responsibility 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, and has:-
 
(1) Agreed the terms
outlined in the strategy and the associated investment detailed in
the Education Asset Management Plan (Appendix 2).
 
(2) Delegated
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) Delegated
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) Delegated
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) Delegated
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.