Issue - meetings

To consider the joint report of the Director of Children and Families, the Director of City Development and the Director of Resources and Housing providing an update on the Learning Places Programme; seeking approval to the proposals presented to meet the demand forecast for the next 3-5 years and which makes a proposal regarding the future of the School Organisation Advisory Board.

(Please note that Appendix B to this report is designated as being exempt from publication under the provisions of Access to Information Procedure Rule 10.4(3))

Further to Minute No. 136, 7^th February 2018, the Director of Children and Families, the Director of City Development and the Director of Resources and Housing submitted a joint report presenting an update on the Learning Places Programme, including an update on the progress of those projects currently forming part of the Programme. Approval was sought for the proposals presented to meet the demand forecast for the next 3-5 years, particularly around secondary requirements across the East of the City, as part of the ongoing strategic place planning.

A plan of the Arcadia site proposed to allow the Council to bring forward a free school presumption for the development of a new 6/8 form entry secondary school was attached as Appendix A of the report.

In addition, the submitted report sought approval to undertake related capital expenditure and also to reset the capital risk fund. An outline of the Learning Places Action Plan; submitted by the Council in response to the letter of 7^th June 2018 from the Education Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) requiring the Council to develop an Action Plan with Target Savings for the delivery of additional school places was also included. Following a review of the Action Plan by the Department for Education, EFSA concluded that the Action Plan will deliver the necessary savings, if implemented effectively.

A Member raised a concern regarding the proposal for the dissolution of the School Organisation and Advisory Board (SOAB) and the Executive Member for Learning, Skills and Employment provided information setting out the reasoning behind the proposal.

Following consideration of Appendix B to the submitted report designated as exempt from publication under the provisions of Access to Information Procedure Rule 10.4(3), which were considered in private at the conclusion of the meeting, it was

RESOLVED

a)  That the progress made over the last 12 months across the Learning Places Programme and the successful delivery of 1600 new school places be noted;

b)  That approval be given to the Council entering into negotiations with the Arcadia Group Ltd for the purchase of the currently unused playing field land (2.7ha) at Torre Road for the delivery of a new secondary school, with final Heads of Terms to be presented back to Executive Board at a future point in time once a mutually agreed position has been established;

c)  That approval be given to reset the balance of the Capital Risk Fund to £7.190m, to facilitate effective risk management at programme level which maintains the fund at 10% of the current capital value of schemes in development;

d)  That approval be given to the dissolution of the School Organisation Advisory Board (SOAB), as a non-statutory function with immediate effect.