Issue - meetings

Purpose of report

The purpose of this report is to present the Secondary School Place Strategy 2017-2023, highlighting future secondary school place pressures and the potential solutions to address the projected deficit in school place capacity.

RECOMMENDED

(1)  That the Cabinet Member approves the Secondary School Place Strategy 2017-2023.

(2)  That the four schemes identified in the Strategy are endorsed as the basis for delivering the required additional places (subject to the identification of funding) and would generate an additional 910 secondary school places.

(TAKE IN REPORT)

The report was introduced by Caroline Corcoran, Head of Sufficiency, Participation and Resources.

In response to a question from the Cabinet Member, officers explained that they were confident that the statistical modelling within the report was robust and that if the recommended schemes were undertaken there would be enough secondary school places until 2023.  This assumes that trends remain stable.  Officers review and update the pupil forecasts for primary and secondary pupils every summer. Primary school numbers have stabilised at their current level and officers are keeping a watching eye on that to see if there are any changes, which would over time flow through from primary to secondary schools.   

The Cabinet Member expressed her thanks to officers for all their hard work on the strategy.

DECISIONS: The Cabinet Member

(1) Approved the Secondary School Place Strategy 2017-2023.

(2) Endorsed the four schemes identified in the Strategy as the basis for delivering the required additional places (subject to the identification of funding) that will generate an additional 910 secondary school places.